Follow up email after a trade show A floor full of booths. Make sure they remember yours.

Follow up email templates for after a trade show, for both sides of the booth: when to send each one, what to write down while the show is on, and how to sort the leads first.

Send your follow up email after a trade show within one business day for anyone who asked for a quote or a call, and within the first week for everyone else. Name the show and the booth, answer the question they asked, and offer one small next step. Below are five templates: three for exhibitors writing to booth visitors, and two for attendees writing to vendors and to people they met on the floor.

Hot leads: Within one business day. Exactly what they asked for.
Everyone else: In the first week, on their first full day back.
What: The show, their question and its answer, one small step.

By Kai, Founder of Cardr. Updated October 29, 2026. Every template here is our own writing, and every figure links to the study it comes from.

Sort first

Not every badge gets the same email.

Sort the leads the night the show ends. Read down until a line fits, then stop.

They asked for a quote, a sample or a call Within one business day Send exactly what they asked for. Ring first if they gave you a number for it.
They asked a real question at the booth Within two business days Answer the question in the email. It is how they will place you.
You talked, but nothing specific came up In the first week One useful line and a small ask, once they are back at their desk.
The badge was scanned, but you barely spoke In the first week, honestly Say you did not really talk, say what you do in a line, and let them opt in.
Students, other exhibitors, people who said no Not a sales email A LinkedIn note, or nothing. A pitch here costs more goodwill than it wins.

At the booth

Four notes, taken in a minute.

A trade show follow-up is only as good as what you wrote down between conversations. These four are enough.

What to write down at the booth, so the follow-up writes itself
Note	Example	Why
Their question	“Lead times over 500 units”	It becomes the subject line and the first paragraph.
What you promised	“Price it, send spec sheet”	The one thing they will check you did.
Their timing	“Budget opens in March”	The date for the email that matters most.
How hot	Hot, warm or later	Sets which day they hear from you.

Examples only. A phone note or the back of their card is enough; what matters is that it is written within minutes, not that night.

Five templates

Both sides of the booth.

The first three are for exhibitors, the last two for attendees. Words in brackets are yours to fill in.

01Exhibitor: a visitor who asked a real question at your booth

SubjectYour question at the [company] booth

Hi [first name],

Thanks for stopping by our booth at [show] on [day]. You asked about [their question, such as lead times on orders over 500 units].

[The answer, or what you promised to find out.]

If it helps, I can [one small next step: send a sample, price it, or set up a 15-minute call]. Just reply and I'll take care of it.

Best,
[Your name]
[Company] | [phone]

Make it yours. Their question, answered in the email. They talked to dozens of booths; their own question is how they will place yours.

02Exhibitor: a visitor who asked for a quote

SubjectPricing for [what they asked about]

Hi [first name],

As promised at [show], here's pricing for [what they asked about], based on [the volume or scope they mentioned]: [price or attachment].

Two things worth knowing: [one line on what is included] and [one line on timing].

If the numbers work, the next step is [one concrete step]. If they don't, tell me what you're comparing against and I'll see what I can do.

Best,
[Your name]

Make it yours. Use the volume or scope they gave you. A price list sent to everyone who stopped by is a brochure, not a follow-up.

03Exhibitor: someone whose badge was scanned but you barely spoke

SubjectFrom the [company] booth at [show]

Hi [first name],

You stopped by our booth at [show], and it was busy enough that I don't think we really talked. Sorry about that.

In one line, we [what you do, for whom]. If that's relevant to [their company], I'd be glad to answer a question or two by email.

If not, no need to reply.

Best,
[Your name]

Make it yours. Be honest that you did not speak. Pretending to remember a conversation that never happened is the fastest way to lose a lead.

04Attendee: a vendor you want to hear more from

Subject[Your company] and [their product]: next step

Hi [first name],

We spoke at your booth at [show] about [what you need it for]. I'm [your role] at [your company], and we're looking at [the decision and its timing].

Could you send [the specific thing: pricing for our size, a reference in our industry, the integration list]?

Thanks,
[Your name]

Make it yours. Ask for the one thing you need to decide. Vendors answer specific requests first.

05Attendee: another attendee you met in the aisle or at lunch

Hi [first name], we compared notes on [the booth or topic] at [show]. Glad to have met someone else dealing with [shared problem]. Let's stay in touch.

Make it yours. The shared problem. Two buyers at the same show are often the most useful contact either of you made there.

Where Cardr fits

Your card at the booth. Not a badge scanner.

Cardr UpdatedToday

Regional Sales Director

Corvane Logistics

cardr.co/rachel-lindgren

Scan or tap to savei

Example

Cardr does not scan badges and does not sync to a CRM. If your show offers lead retrieval, or your team runs a CRM, those do that job better, and for a big booth team they are the right pick.

What Cardr does is the part after the scan. Your card is a QR code and an Apple Wallet pass that works with no signal. Visitors scan it, save you to their contacts, and can send their own name and email back, so they land in your list with no typing. You save one sentence about each person as they walk away, free. Pro then emails you at 9 a.m. with the follow-up already written from that sentence, and reminds you about anyone still waiting.

Free card. Pro does the follow-up.

Your card, your page and every contact it brings in are free. Pro writes each follow-up from what you talked about and emails it to you at 9 a.m., ready to send.

See what Pro does

Questions

Trade show follow-up, answered.

When should I send a follow up email after a trade show?

Hot leads within one business day of the show ending, everyone else in the first week. Most people travel home and face a full inbox, so an email that lands on their first full day back, mid-morning, gets read more than one sent from the airport.

What should a trade show follow up email say?

Where they met you (the show and the booth), the question they asked, its answer, and one small next step. Leave out the brochure. They saw dozens of booths, and their own question is the only thing that sets yours apart.

How do I follow up with someone whose badge I scanned but did not talk to?

Honestly. Say the booth was busy and you did not really talk, say what you do in one line, and invite a question. Pretending to remember a conversation is the fastest way to lose a lead.

Is it true that 80% of trade show leads are never followed up?

We could not find a study that says so. It is usually credited to CEIR, the Center for Exhibition Industry Research, but none of the pages that credit CEIR links to a CEIR study. Our audit of that figure has the trail.

Should I call or email after a trade show?

Call the few who asked for a call or a quote, then email so what you agreed is in writing. Email everyone else. A cold call to someone who only took a pen reads as pressure.

Can Cardr scan badges at a trade show?

No. Cardr has no badge scanner and no CRM sync; if your show offers lead retrieval, use it for badges. What Cardr does is the other half: people scan your card’s QR, save you, and can send their details back, and your follow-ups are drafted from the note you save.