Free, no sign-up to start: the plan opens as a live, editable Gantt chart. 13 tasks across 5 phases, about 14 weeks if every task runs in sequence.
What's in the template
Select show and book booth space
Set goals and budget
Booth design and graphics
Collateral and giveaways
Demo setup
Exhibitor services orders
Ship to advance warehouse
Travel and badge registration
Pre-show outreach and meeting booking
Staff briefing
Show days
Lead follow-up
Show results review
| Phase | Task | Example duration |
|---|---|---|
| Book | Select show and book booth space | 7 days |
| Book | Set goals and budget | 3 days |
| Design | Booth design and graphics | 21 days |
| Design | Collateral and giveaways | 14 days |
| Design | Demo setup | 7 days |
| Logistics | Exhibitor services orders | 3 days |
| Logistics | Ship to advance warehouse | 5 days |
| Logistics | Travel and badge registration | 3 days |
| Promote | Pre-show outreach and meeting booking | 21 days |
| Promote | Staff briefing | 1 day |
| Show | Show days | 3 days |
| Show | Lead follow-up | 10 days |
| Show | Show results review | 2 days |
Durations are examples to replace with your own estimates, not benchmarks.
About this trade show plan
Exhibiting at a trade show is mostly deadline management: booth space, the exhibitor services order deadline, advance warehouse shipping and badge registration all close before the show, and late orders commonly cost more.
This plan is written from the exhibitor's side for a single show.
Who it's for: Event marketers, field marketers and sales teams exhibiting at a show.
How to use it
- Open the plan. Click Open in the editor.
- Enter the organizer's deadlines. Add the exhibitor manual's deadlines as milestones and line tasks up before them.
- Start outreach early. Unlink pre-show outreach so meetings are booked weeks in advance. In the task panel, remove the predecessor, then set the new start date. Then check that the task that came next still lists the earlier work as a predecessor, so delays keep cascading.
- Share with the booth team. Send a read-only link to everyone staffing the booth.
Planning tips
- Read the exhibitor manual on day one; it lists every deadline.
- Agree who owns lead follow-up before the show.
- Keep a list of shipped items to check on arrival and for return shipping.
Frequently asked questions
- How early should I plan for a trade show?
- Ideally several months ahead, especially for custom booth graphics. This template spans about three months.
- Can I plan several shows in a year?
- Yes. Save one project per show on Solo, or add a lane per show.
- Is there a template for conference organizers?
- Yes. The conference planning template is written for organizers.
Related templates
The free plan saves one project. Downloads (PDF, CSV) and more projects are on Solo, $12/month.