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What to do after a trade show?

Rédacteur Elsa
Antoine Payre
CEO & Co-founder
14/3/2025
Illustration from the blog post about business cards

Tradeshow experience does not end when the doors close.

On the contrary, the true value resides in the actions taken after the event.

In this article, we explore 7 essential tips to Optimizing the impact of a trade show professional and maximizing the success of your business.

Follow these tips for get the most out of your participation and to stand out in the professional world.

1. Do a debrief with your teams (D+1)

Make a Debrief with your teams the following day is essential for get the most out of your efforts and of your participation at a trade show.

This meeting allows gather all members of the team for sharing their experiences, evaluate the results obtained and identify strengths as well as the areas for improvement for the company.

Debrief on:

  • the exhibition of your stand
  • Your contestants
  • Did your sales team know meeting the needs of visitors ?
  • The potential opportunities : number of qualified contacts, number of contracts signed etc.
  • What person Will in charge of opportunities ? For example, the Key Account Manager will take care of the biggest deals while the Sales Manager will manage smaller opportunities.
  • What were the strong/weak points, the relevancy ofthe commercial speech ? It's time to take a step back from the trade show and do some soul-searching.

By doing a in-depth debriefing, you promote communication, collective thinking And the informed decision making for the future.

It is also an opportunity to express your gratitude to the members of your team. for their work And their involvement.

2. Centralize and digitize the prospects collected during the show (S+1)

Each year in France, professional events such as shows and fairs attract on average 28 million visitors.

All this excitement can quickly be difficult to manage and To be listed.

Centralize the contacts collected

Organize and sort contacts that you collected during the event is essential in order not to feel overwhelmed by all these business cards and thus maximize the effectiveness of your presence.

Have you ever thought about NFC business cards ?

This tool allows you to:

  1. Don't you lug your 300 paper business cards for your professional salon, it's great isn't it?
  2. THEexchange is no longer one-sided. Indeed, you can retrieve the contact details of your prospect.
  3. List The encounter made within the application Cardynale.
  4. Contextualize your encounter with the venue and datum of meetings as well as Tags And notes
  5. Easily prepare your reminders with personalized messages.

Tips: Categorize your prospects based on their interest level and Prioritize them for the follow-up that will be carried out afterwards.

Some of your prospects may insist on giving you their paper business cards.

Thanks to the application Cardynal,, you can Scan their paper business cards in order to list them and centralize them in the app.

Once your prospects are centralized in the application, be sure to enter their information in a customer relationship management system (CRM).

 

application cardynale

 


3. Make a list of priorities and deal with them immediately (D+1)

By identifying the most important tasks and urgent, you can Focus On what really is gist to achieve your business goals.

Establishing a priority list allows you to stay organized following this event, of gain in efficiency And of not Don't let yourself be overwhelmed through all of your responsibilities.

This stage is carried out the day after the show and the following days. (D+1 to D+7)

A few examples:

  • Respond to qualified prospects to whom you promised a quick response.
  • A customer asked for your commercial brochure to show it to a partner within 2 days, do not wait any longer and send it to him.
  • Send all requested quotes.

Tips: Remember to divide these tasks and define who is responsible for them!


4. Recontact everyone

He is primordial of Contact All the people met at the trade show in the following days (S+1 to S+7).

This Process testifies Of your professionalism and of your Interest in initiated exchanges during the event.

Follow up with personalized emails or messages

Take the time to send personalized emails or to pass phone calls to thank the people we met, discuss Of collaboration opportunities and maintain the established link.

Create personalized messages that mention conversations Or points of interest specific to the living room.

Tips: You can help yourself with notes , taken on the Cardynale app, on the person concerned.

This regular follow-up strengthens the relationship and promotes the transformation of prospects into customers potentials.
Be responsive
and Show your commitment towards these contacts, as it can make a difference in the creating fruitful partnerships.

By doing Proof of speed In this follow-up process, you make sure to maximizing development opportunities of your business and sustainability of professional relationships.


réserver un appel avec Cardynale

5. Post on social networks and on your blog 🌐

Use the power of social networks to extend the reach of your presence at Trade show.

Share some engaging content, like pictures, of videos and facts about the event, on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Use relevant hashtags and Identify people Or influential organizations to broaden visibility of your publication.

Encourage participants unto sharing their experiences and testimonies !

Create compelling blog posts that provide valuable information about the trade show, the industry trends Or specific topics discussed particularly during the conferences. It also helps to strengthen your branding.

6. Measure and analyze the impact of the show (M+3 and M+6)

It is crucial to measure and analyze the impact of the trade show in the following months.

These steps make it possible toassess the real impact of your participation in the event and to take informed decisions for the future.

  1. Start with gather quantitative data such as the number of leads generated, sales made, partnerships concluded, etc.
  2. Analyze these numbers for assess the return on investment (ROI) of the living room.
  3. Afterwards, review qualitative data such as Comments from the people we met, feedback and opportunities for successful collaboration.
  4. Identify strengths And the areas for improvement to maximize the results of future trade shows.
    This in-depth analysis allows you to learn valuable lessons, ofadjust your strategy and to measure the effectiveness of your efforts.

By measuring and analysing the impact of the show professional at M+3 and M+6, you make sure to get the most out of your participation and strengthen your positioning on the market.


7. Optimize for next year

For ensure participation yet more fruitful Next year, it is essential tooptimize your strategies. You will succeed!

  1. Take the time to reflect on lessons learned about your experience this year and identify areas for improvement.
  2. Revisit your goals, your key messages and your visual presence to ensure they effectively reflect your brand and offerings.
  3. Analyze visitor feedback, of patrons And coworkers to understand what has worked and what can be improved.
  4. Revisit your pre-trade show marketing plan, your communication strategy and your logistical planning to optimize your resources and your efficiency.

Keep in mind that theoptimization Is a continuous process, so be sure to implement regular assessment measures throughout the year for stay competitive and stand out at future events.

networking c'est quoi


Conclusion

Making a detailed assessment and a structured report to the End of the lounge, you put the first step towards an effective strategy to maximize leads after a trade show. Establishing a list of priorities, sort contacts and analyze the returns makes it possible to identify the new opportunities and to optimize your communication plan.

En relaunching of effective way The new contacts thanks to personalized emails, a targeted emailing Or a Newsletter, you develop a relationship of trust and initiate a process of Lead Nurturing.
One thank you message Well thought out for people met, to exponents, and to trade show organizers Strengthen your presence at a lounge and your professionalism.

Marketing impact analysis Allows you to determine the costs committed, of Calculate the costs generated, and to identify the most effective ways to reach your target audience. It is essential not to forget The new acquaintances acquired and of deal with leads in an appropriate way, whether they are Warm or at Convert to the longer term.

The dismantling the stand Don't mark the End of work, but rather a key step towards continuous improvement.

Analyzing errors, avoid bad practices, and foresee the adjustments needed for the Next salon guarantee a optimized preparation And a better visibility For theNext year.

Finally, share your experience through a post on social networks, a white paper, or a case study On a new product or service positions you as expert in your field and allows you to attract new customers Among the mainstream and professionals.

By adopting these best practices, you are transforming each Trade show In one strategic opportunity to expose your offers, strengthen your marketing, and working effectively your branding.

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