Send three or four short emails over the six weeks before the show: a save-the-date with your booth number, a reason to stop by, a specific meeting request with two time options, and a final reminder. Send them to your own customers and opted-in prospects, use the show's invite codes, and never buy an "attendee list."
Booth meetings don't book themselves. Somebody has to ask, and if you're not on someone's show schedule, you're hoping they wander by. Hope is not a plan, and neither is a bowl of candy.
So here's the four-email plan I'd use, with templates you can copy.
The four-email plan at a glance
The dates below are for a show opening Jan. 6, 2027, like CES.
That's my recommended default. Adjust it to your show and your people.
Michael's Tip
For a January show, I'd plan around the holidays instead of hoping people read email during them. Get Email 1 out before Thanksgiving, which for CES also beats the Nov. 30 price change, and send the meeting request by Dec. 23, before the Christmas week. That leaves the final reminder for around Jan. 3, after the holidays and right before the show.
CES 2027 runs Jan. 6-9, 2027 in Las Vegas (exhibits open Jan. 6; conference sessions start Jan. 5). January is busy in general: NRF Retail's Big Show runs Jan. 10-12 at the Javits Center in New York, and World of Concrete exhibits run Jan. 19-21 at the LVCC. My venue guides for Las Vegas and New York cover the buildings, and you'll find more January 2027 shows on my calendar. Last verified: October 2026.
Who should get these emails
The short answer is people who already know you.
- Your current customers
- Open opportunities
- Prospects who've opted in to hear from you
- Your sales team's own contacts, sent from the rep's own inbox
Use a real name and a real reply-to address. If someone writes back, a human should answer, and fast.
What about buying the show's attendee list? Don't.
IDDBA says it does not sell attendee lists, and that offers claiming access to attendee contact information are fraudulent. The International Roofing Expo says it and its official vendors don't sell attendee lists either. And Google's sender guidelines say not to purchase email addresses or send to people who didn't sign up.
There's a difference between a scammer selling a "list" and an organizer's own program. IDDBA, for example, lists "SWAP REACH by Maritz" as its approved vendor for email marketing lists. If you exhibit at IDDBA, ask IDDBA how that program works before you plan around it.
Michael's Tip
My preference is to have your reps send these from their own inboxes to the customers and prospects they already talk to. A note from someone the customer knows reads like a real request for 15 minutes, and the reply goes straight to the person who can book the meeting. Every rep's version still needs your postal address and opt-out line.
If you send these as marketing email, keep your company's postal address and an opt-out line in each one (see the email rules below).
Email 1: The save-the-date
Goal: get on their radar before the holidays bury everything.
Keep it to three or four sentences. Booth number in the first line.
Subject options:
- See you at [Show]? We're in booth [#]
- [Show] [Year]: where to find us
Hi [First name], We'll be in booth [#] at [Show] in [City], [dates]. We're bringing [one-line reason: the new product, a live demo, a person they'd want to meet]. If you're going, just reply and let me know. I'd like to make time to say hello. [Your name] [Company] [Mobile number] [Company postal address] Not interested in show updates? Reply 'stop' and I'll take you off the list.
That's it. No logo parade and no paragraph about your company's history. Plain text is fine, too. It looks like a person sent it, because a person did.
Email 2: Give them a reason to stop by
"Visit our booth" is not a reason. Give them one concrete thing, like a demo time, a new product, a talk or a show special. This is also where you use the show's own tools.
- CES: your company's Registration Coordinator gets customized "Top Ten" and "Customer Invitation" promotion codes through the Exhibitor Dashboard. CES says "Customer Invitation codes offer $149 off the cost of registration." The CES Standard Pass is $149 through Nov. 30 and $349 from Dec. 1 to Jan. 9, so for CES, put the code in Email 1 (Nov. 25) rather than waiting for Email 2.
- The International Roofing Expo: IRE's Customer Invites Program is a free pre-built toolkit in the Exhibitor Portal, supported by VIP Guest Invites. It includes email templates, social graphics, banners and a one-click invite with your logo, booth number and promo code (IRE notes the discounts don't apply to manufacturers and cover new registrations only).
Two things worth telling your CES customers. CES is trade-only, for people 18 and older in the consumer technology industry, and registration requires proof of industry affiliation. And CES names Maritz as the only official registration vendor of CES 2027, so anyone else offering to "register" them is not CES. Last verified: October 2026.
Hi [First name], At [Show] [Year] we're [showing / demoing] [specific thing] in booth [#]. [Demo times: e.g., 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. each day.] If you still need a badge, here's our code: [CODE]. [What the code does, in the organizer's words.] Register only through the official [Show] site. Hope to see you there, [Your name] [Company postal address] Not interested in show updates? Reply 'stop' and I'll take you off the list.
Michael's Tip
Pick the one thing people can't get from your website or a sales call, and give it a time. A live demo of the new product at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. gives them something to plan around, and "visit our booth" never will. If you add a giveaway, I'd tie it to that same reason.
Email 3: Ask for a specific meeting
This is the one that does the real work. "Let's connect at the show" is easy to ignore. Two specific times give them something to say yes to.
Include:
- Two time options
- How long (15-20 minutes)
- Exactly where ("booth [#], at the demo counter")
- A calendar link, or "reply with a time that works"
Hi [First name], Could we grab 15 minutes at [Show]? I'd like to show you [specific thing] and hear what's on your plate for [year]. Would [Day, time] or [Day, time] work? We're in booth [#]. Ask for me at the [demo counter / meeting table]. If neither works, here's my calendar: [link]. Or just reply with a time. [Your name] [Mobile number] [Company postal address] Not interested in show updates? Reply 'stop' and I'll take you off the list.
Before you send it, make sure the booth can actually host the meeting. Who takes it? Where do you sit? Nothing kills a booked meeting faster than "Um, can you come back later?" More on booth staffing.
Email 4: The final reminder
Short and useful. This one is for the people who said yes and the people who meant to.
Send it two or three days out, not the morning of. Give them time to put you on the map before they land.
Hi [First name], Quick reminder: we're in booth [#], [Hall], at [Show] starting [day]. Map: [link] My mobile for show days: [number] [If you have a meeting: See you [day] at [time].] If plans changed, no worries. [Your name] [Company postal address] Not interested in show updates? Reply 'stop' and I'll take you off the list.
Subject lines that get opened
I can't promise open rates, and nobody honest can. But I'd build them on the show name, your booth number or a real question, so they read like a person wrote them. Some to steal:
- See you at [Show]? We're in booth [#]
- [Show] [Year]: where to find us
- 15 minutes at [Show]?
- [Day] at [time] at [Show]?
- Live [product] demo at booth [#]
- Your [Show] badge code from [Company]
- Still headed to [Show]?
- Booth [#] tomorrow
Keep them honest. CAN-SPAM requires subject lines that aren't deceptive (more on that next).
Keep it legal and out of the spam folder
It's not the fun part, but it still matters.
CAN-SPAM in plain English. The FTC says the CAN-SPAM Act covers all commercial email and "makes no exception for business-to-business email." So a B2B invite that promotes your products or booth isn't exempt just because it's going to a business. The requirements include:
- Accurate header information
- Non-deceptive subject lines
- Identifying the message as an ad
- A valid physical postal address
- A clear way to opt out
- Honoring opt-outs within 10 business days
- Making sure anyone sending on your behalf (including your reps) follows the same rules.
Violations carry steep per-email penalties.
Gmail basics. Google's sender guidelines say:
- Everyone sending to personal Gmail accounts needs SPF or DKIM set up for their domain.
- Senders of more than 5,000 messages a day to Gmail accounts need SPF, DKIM and DMARC, and marketing messages must support one-click unsubscribe.
- Don't purchase email addresses or send to people who didn't sign up.
- Keep spam rates below 0.1% if you can, and never reach 0.3%.
If those acronyms mean nothing to you, forward this section to whoever runs your email platform.
This isn't legal advice. Read the FTC's CAN-SPAM compliance guide or ask your attorney.
Track what the emails produce
Count the meetings booked from these emails, and tag each one with the show name. That way your post-show report can tie meetings to pipeline instead of guessing.
Use one show-specific landing page or calendar link with UTM tags so you can see what came from where.
A simple spreadsheet works fine: name, company, show, meeting time and which email booked it.
After the show, the follow-up matters just as much. More in lead follow-up.
Not promoting before the show made my list of the 25 most common trade show mistakes. Four short emails go a long way toward fixing it. More pre-show ideas are in trade show marketing, and you can search upcoming trade shows to plan the next one.
FAQs
When should I send pre-show emails?
Start about six weeks before the show and send the last reminder two or three days before it opens. For a January show, send the first one before Thanksgiving so it isn't lost in the holidays.
How many pre-show emails should I send?
Three or four short ones: a save-the-date, a reason to visit, a meeting request and a final reminder. Stop emailing anyone who books a meeting or opts out.
Can I buy the show's attendee list?
Don't. IDDBA and the International Roofing Expo both say they don't sell attendee lists. IDDBA calls offers to sell one fraudulent, and IRE says such sellers aren't affiliated with it. Use your own contacts and the show's official invite tools.
How do I get a customer a discounted CES pass?
Ask your company's CES Registration Coordinator for a Customer Invitation code from the Exhibitor Dashboard. CES says the codes take $149 off registration.
Do email marketing laws apply to B2B trade show invites?
Yes. The FTC says CAN-SPAM covers business-to-business email: include your postal address, a clear way to opt out, and honor opt-outs within 10 business days.
What should a meeting-request email include?
The show, your booth number, why the meeting is worth 15 minutes, two specific times, and a calendar link or a simple "reply with a time that works."
Want me to look at your invite?
Send me your invite before it goes out and I'll tell you what I'd change.
Written by Michael Flavin, a trade show pro since 2006.
Sources
All checked Oct. 6, 2026 unless noted.
- CES, Registration Information: https://www.ces.tech/attendee-guides/registration-information/
- International Roofing Expo, Customer Invites Program (checked Oct. 5, 2026): https://www.theroofingexpo.com/exhibit/current-exhibitor/customer-invites-program/ and Current Exhibitor page: https://www.theroofingexpo.com/exhibit/current-exhibitor/
- IDDBA, Reserve an Exhibit Space: https://www.iddba.org/iddba-show/exhibits-sponsorships/reserve-an-exhibit-space
- FTC, "CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business": https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business
- Google, Email sender guidelines: https://support.google.com/mail/answer/81126
- Trade Show Tips 2027 show calendar, dates confirmed on each official site in October 2026: https://tradeshowtips.com/shows/