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How to contact exhibitors before the fair
Visitors who want guaranteed meetings.
Cold-walking up to a busy booth on day 2 is the worst way to start a relationship. Pre-booked meetings have a 5–10x higher success rate.
Practical steps
- 1Find the official exhibitor list (usually published 6–8 weeks ahead).
- 2Shortlist 30 — never more, never less.
- 3Find the right person on LinkedIn (commercial director, B2B manager).
- 4Send a personalized message referencing a specific fact about their company.
- 5Propose a 15-minute slot at a specific time, not a vague 'sometime during the fair'.
- 6If they don't reply in 7 days, send one polite reminder. After that, move on.
Checklist
- Exhibitor list downloaded
- 30 priority targets ranked
- LinkedIn template personalized for each
- Calendar slots blocked in advance
- Reminder schedule set
LinkedIn / email message template
Hi [Name], I'll be at [Fair name] on [day] and noticed [specific fact: your new Andalusia program / your AI guide product / your MICE expansion in Marrakech]. We run [your activity] focused on [your niche], with [1 concrete metric]. Could we meet for 15 minutes at your booth on [day, time slot 1] or [day, time slot 2]? I'll come prepared with [what you'll bring: a concrete proposal / sample contract / FAM trip outline]. Thanks, [Your name] — [Your role] — [Company] [LinkedIn] · [Calendar link]