Events · UK
Trade show follow-up: from handshake to meeting
The work of a trade show happens after it closes. Here is a simple routine for collecting contacts on the stand and turning them into meetings the following week.
By the Nexus teamPublished October 14, 20263 min read
Exhibition halls such as ExCeL London, the NEC in Birmingham and Manchester Central host shows where a stand team can meet hundreds of people over a couple of days. The conversations are short, the badges are hard to read and the paper cards end up in a bag. The teams that get the most from a show plan the follow-up before the doors open.
Before the show
- 1
Decide what a good lead looks like
Agree two or three questions the team asks every visitor, so notes are comparable afterwards.
- 2
Update every profile
Make sure each person’s card opens a profile with the right title, a booking link and the product you are launching.
- 3
Connect your CRM
Contacts should land where your sales team works, tagged with the event name.
On the stand
Speed matters more than anything. A tap on a smart card opens your profile on the visitor’s phone; they save your contact and can send their details back in the same moment. For visitors who hand you a paper card, scan it into your contacts before you put it down.
- Write one line of context straight after each conversation: what they need and what you promised.
- Tag contacts by the event and by priority, so follow-up can start the same evening.
- Keep one or two QR codes visible on the stand for people who prefer to scan.
The first 48 hours
Interest fades quickly after a show. A short, personal message within two days that refers to the conversation works better than a generic newsletter a fortnight later. If you collected details through your profile, you already have the name, company and context in one place.
Follow-up that gets replies
- Sent within 48 hours
- Mentions what you discussed
- One clear next step, such as a time to talk
- From the person they met
Follow-up that gets ignored
- A week or more later
- A generic product brochure
- Several links and no clear ask
- From a no-reply address
Measure what worked
After the show, look at how many profiles were opened, how many contacts were saved and exchanged, and which conversations became meetings. Comparing shows on those numbers tells you where to exhibit next year. Nexus shows views, saves and contact exchanges per card and per person, so you can see which conversations led somewhere.
Remember that contacts collected at events are personal data. Follow up about what you discussed, and ask before adding anyone to a marketing list; our UK GDPR guide explains why.