Trade Fair Preparation Timeline: A 16-Week Plan Working Back from the Fair

A fair lasts a few days, but its outcome is decided months earlier. Booth space is booked late, the catalog misses the print deadline, or brochures handed out at the fair are forgotten in bags. The plan below shows what to do when, working back from the fair date. Dates for the fairs in your industry, with each fair's catalog print deadline, are in our trade fair calendar.

16–12 weeks before: goals and booth

• Write down the goal: new dealers, export contacts or a product launch? The booth, catalog and videos are built around it.
• Book booth space: good locations at big fairs fill up early.
• Choose the products to feature: identify products that won't fit on the booth, are heavy, or need to be shown working, and plan videos for them.

10–8 weeks before: content and photos

• Prepare catalog and brochure copy. For size and paper, see catalog and brochure sizes.
• Shoot product photos. If videos will be added to them, check how well phones will recognise them with the free image test; you'll spot look-alike photos in advance.
• Get printing quotes. See catalog printing cost for what drives the price.

8–6 weeks before: videos

• Produce product videos: 15–45 seconds, showing the product from the first second; portrait works best on phones.
• Make them work without sound: fair halls are noisy; use subtitles or text-free storytelling.
• Match them in the dashboard: link each product photo to its video and test with your own phone.

6–4 weeks before: printing

• Place the QR code: add a single QR code with a short prompt on the catalog cover and posters. Size it for the scanning distance with the QR code size calculator.
• Check the file: go through the 12 points in the print-ready checklist.
• Send to print at least 4 weeks before: leave time for proofs and corrections. This is the "recommended deadline" in the calendar; when you add a fair to your calendar, this day is added as a separate reminder.

2 weeks before: testing and team

• Test the printed catalogs and posters with a phone: under light similar to the hall, with different phones.
• Brief the booth team: they should have used the system themselves so they can tell visitors "point your phone at the photo".
• Send invitations: use one of your catalog images in invitations and emails; the same image opens the same video.

Fair week

• Hang the main poster at eye level and the QR code at a scannable height.
• If the booth has guest Wi-Fi, print the details next to the QR code; mobile data can slow down in crowded halls.
• For more ideas, see 7 ways to stand out at a trade fair booth.

After the fair: follow-up

• Which products were watched? See in the dashboard how often each product video was watched and which cities the interest came from, and prioritise follow-ups accordingly.
• The catalog keeps working: back at the office, visitors point their phone at a photo and watch the product again. When the video ends, they can message you on WhatsApp.
• Plan the next fair: upcoming fairs in your industry are in the trade fair calendar.

Industry guides: furniture, automotive, machinery, bathroom and sanitaryware, cosmetics.