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The complete playbook for B2B teams to maximize trade show ROI — from pre-show research to post-show conversion.
March 2026
- Added Chapter 07: Trade Show Intelligence in the AI Agent Era — practical guide to using AI for exhibitor research, outreach personalization, onsite prioritization, and post-show follow-up
- Updated key 2026 trade show dates across major verticals
Trade shows are expensive, noisy, and full of distractions. Winning exhibitors treat events as a full-funnel program — from event selection and exhibitor profiling to pre-show outreach, onsite qualifying, and post-show conversion. This playbook provides a practical, step-by-step SOP designed for B2B sales and marketing teams who need repeatable, measurable outcomes.
- 01. Pre-Show Research
- 02. Exhibitor Profiling
- 03. Pre-Show Outreach
- 04. Onsite Execution
- 05. Post-Show Conversion
- 06. Tools and Templates
- 07. Trade Show Intelligence in the AI Agent Era
A selection of high-value events for B2B exhibitors across major verticals. Full dataset available at trade-show-calendar.
| Show | Dates | Location | Vertical |
|---|---|---|---|
| CES | Jan 6–9 | Las Vegas, US | Technology |
| NRF Big Show | Jan 11–14 | New York, US | Retail |
| Arab Health | Jan 26–29 | Dubai, UAE | Healthcare |
| ISE | Feb 3–6 | Barcelona, Spain | Technology / AV |
| Gulfood | Feb 17–21 | Dubai, UAE | Food & Beverage |
| MWC Barcelona | Mar 2–5 | Barcelona, Spain | Mobile / Telecom |
| ITB Berlin | Mar 3–5 | Berlin, Germany | Travel & Tourism |
| Embedded World | Mar 10–12 | Nuremberg, Germany | Technology / IoT |
| HIMSS | Mar 9–13 | Orlando, US | Healthcare IT |
| Hannover Messe | Apr 13–17 | Hannover, Germany | Manufacturing |
| Interpack | May 7–13 | Dusseldorf, Germany | Packaging |
| COMPUTEX | Jun 2–6 | Taipei, Taiwan | Technology |
| InfoComm | Jun 7–13 | Las Vegas, US | AV / Pro Tech |
| SIAL Paris | Oct 18–22 | Paris, France | Food & Beverage |
| GITEX Global | Oct 13–17 | Dubai, UAE | Technology |
| MEDICA | Nov 16–19 | Dusseldorf, Germany | Healthcare |
| Electronica | Nov 10–13 | Munich, Germany | Electronics |
Lensmor is an AI-native event intelligence platform that helps B2B teams discover trade shows, analyze exhibitors (uncovering hidden competitors and using pre-show competitor analysis), and generate qualified leads before the event starts.
- awesome-trade-shows — Curated list of 100+ trade shows across 15 industries
- trade-show-calendar — Open dataset of global trade shows (CSV + JSON)
- trade-show-skills — AI-powered Claude Code skills for trade show automation
- event-tech-landscape — Map of 80+ tools powering the event industry
- trade-show-email-templates — Ready-to-use email templates for trade show outreach
MIT