Trade shows compress everything: leads come in fast, conversations blur together, and then you’re back to running the business. If follow-up slips, leads go cold—especially when attendees are comparing multiple booths from the same weekend.
This guide is for the small business owner who actually worked the booth. It’s not a “marketing strategy” essay. It’s the exact post-show workflow you can run every time, even when you’re exhausted.
If you want the short version, it’s this:
- Speed beats perfection.
- One clear next step beats a long email.
- A consistent cadence beats a one-time burst of motivation.
The 60-minute post-show checklist
1) Get your lead sheets into one place
You cannot follow up from “photos somewhere on my phone.”
- Take clear photos of each page (or export your badge-scan CSV).
- If you have sticky notes, attach them to the right sheet before photographing.
- If multiple people collected leads, get their sheets into the same folder/thread.
- If you have business cards, photograph them in small batches and keep them grouped by conversation (if possible).
2) Sort leads into 3 buckets (rough is fine)
You don’t need perfect scoring. You need priority.
- Hot: asked pricing/timeline, requested a quote, or wanted a meeting.
- Warm: interested but not urgent.
- Info: general interest, “just looking”.
3) Send the first follow-up fast
Your first follow-up should be short enough to send from a phone.
- Aim for same day (or the next morning if you’re traveling).
- Keep it short: one question + one next step.
If you did nothing else, this alone will increase replies.
Before you send anything: the “minimum viable lead”
If you’re stuck in the “typing stage”, you’ll lose the weekend. For initial follow-up, you usually only need:
- Name (or company; “there” is better than blank)
- One contact method (email or phone)
- One note that proves you listened (need/timeline/interest)
Everything else can be cleaned up later—after you’ve started conversations.
The first message formula (works across industries)
Most trade show follow-ups fail because they try to do too much. Use this formula instead:
- Reference the show (so they remember who you are)
- Reference one detail (so it feels personal)
- Ask one easy question (so it’s simple to reply)
- Offer one next step (so they can take action)
Example:
Hi {{name}}, thanks for stopping by our booth at {{eventName}}. You mentioned {{note}}.
Are you hoping to do this in the next 30 days, or later?
If you want, here’s my calendar: {{schedulingLink}}
— {{signature}}
If you need more copy, use the templates here:
How to segment leads fast (without a CRM)
Segmentation doesn’t have to be fancy. Use simple tags:
- Hot: asked for pricing, asked for a quote, wanted a demo, wants to book, urgent timeline
- Warm: interested but needs to think, asked for info, “maybe later”
- Info: general interest, not sure they’re a fit, “just browsing”
If you’re short on time, only do this:
- Follow up Hot leads first
- Follow up Warm leads next
- Archive/ignore the rest until you have time
You’ll win more revenue by following up on the top 20% quickly than trying to “perfectly manage” 100% of the list.
The “same day” send checklist (before you hit send)
Before you send the first batch, sanity check:
- Are you using the right show name ({{eventName}})?
- Did you include one clear next step (reply or book a time)?
- Did you keep it short enough to read on a phone?
- Did you avoid attachments and long walls of text?
If yes, ship it.
Days 1–7 follow-up timeline
You don’t need a 12-email sequence. You need a small number of touches that you actually run.
Day 0 (same day)
Goal: get replies while the show is still fresh.
- Send a short thank-you.
- Ask one question (timeline/need).
- Include one CTA (book time, reply with details, request quote).
Day 1
Goal: book the next step for Hot leads.
- Prioritize people who requested a quote, demo, or appointment.
- Offer two time windows to reduce back-and-forth.
- If you need one missing detail (address, budget, territory), ask for it directly.
Day 2–3
Goal: keep momentum with Warm leads without overwhelming.
- Send one helpful thing (a single link, a short FAQ, or a one-paragraph “what happens next”).
- Re-share the CTA (booking link) without writing a long essay.
Day 5–7
Goal: close the loop.
- One last bump is enough.
- Make it easy to say “not now” (it increases responses).
Example:
Just closing the loop after {{eventName}} — should I keep this on my radar, or is now not the right time?
What to do if you’re overwhelmed (the “minimum effective” version)
If you’re exhausted and you only have 20 minutes, do this:
- Send follow-up to Hot leads only (or your top 10–20 leads)
- Use a one-question email + booking link
- Leave the rest for tomorrow morning
This keeps you from doing nothing—which is the real failure mode.
What to do if you collected leads in multiple formats
Badge scans + paper notes
This is common: you have a badge scan (clean contact info) plus paper notes (context).
- Import/export the badge list.
- Add one note per lead (even 3–5 words) so follow-up is personal.
- Don’t wait to “merge perfectly” before sending. Send first, then clean.
Business cards only
If a lead only gave you a card, your follow-up must include context:
- “Met you at {{eventName}}”
- “You asked about {{topic}}”
- One simple question + next step
If you don’t have enough context, keep it short and ask what they were looking for.
Light tracking (so you don’t double-send or forget)
You don’t need a CRM to track your first week. A simple approach:
- Keep one list (even a note on your phone) with:
- Hot leads contacted
- Hot leads scheduled
- Warm leads contacted
- Leads who replied “not now”
The point is not “perfect pipeline management.” The point is avoiding two painful mistakes: forgetting Hot leads and accidentally double-sending.
The “post-show admin trap” (and how to avoid it)
The trap is thinking: “I’ll follow up once I clean everything up.”
Instead:
- Follow up on Hot leads first (even if you have imperfect data).
- Follow up on Warm leads next.
- Clean up the rest after replies start coming in.
Replies create clarity. Admin work doesn’t.
Don’t lose leads in the “typing stage”
If your lead list is paper, the biggest failure mode is spending too long cleaning it up and never sending anything. Your goal is:
- Reachability: email or phone present.
- Context: one note so your message feels human.
If that’s hard because your sheets are messy, use this workflow:
Ready to run this automatically?
If you already have photos of your lead sheets, you can upload them and start follow-up in minutes.
Related industries
These pages are tailored to booth owners in specific categories: