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How to follow up after a fair

Anyone who attended a fair — exhibitor or visitor.

80% of attendees never follow up. The 20% who do capture 80% of the value. Speed matters more than perfection.

Practical steps

  1. 1Within 24 hours: connect on LinkedIn with a 1-line personal note for every contact.
  2. 2Within 48 hours: send a personalized email referencing your specific conversation.
  3. 3Within 7 days: send the promised document/proposal/contract draft.
  4. 4Within 14 days: propose a concrete next step (call, pilot, FAM trip).
  5. 5Within 30 days: send one final 'gentle nudge' — then move on.

Checklist

  • Contact list exported from CRM/notebook
  • LinkedIn requests sent (24h)
  • Personalized emails sent (48h)
  • Proposals sent (7d)
  • Next-step calls booked

Follow-up email template

Subject: Great to meet at [Fair] — [your topic]

Hi [Name],

It was a pleasure meeting you at [Fair] on [day]. As discussed, [one specific thing you talked about].

As promised, I'm attaching [document]. Concretely, I'd suggest the next step would be [specific proposal — a call, a pilot, a contract].

Are you available for 20 minutes on [date 1] or [date 2]?

Best regards,
[Name]
[Calendar link]

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