Is It Legal to Email Trade Fair Exhibitors? UK and EU Rules

PECR

The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003. They set the UK rules for marketing by email, text and phone.

UK GDPR

The UK version of the General Data Protection Regulation, together with the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies whenever you process personal data.

Corporate subscriber

A company, LLP, Scottish partnership or public body. PECR's consent rule for marketing email does not cover them.

Individual subscriber

A private person, a sole trader or certain partnerships. Marketing email to them needs consent or the soft opt-in.

The regulator is the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). PECR is being amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, so check the ICO's current guidance before you plan a campaign.

Yes, in most cases. Most trade fair exhibitors are limited companies, which makes them corporate subscribers. You can send them B2B marketing without prior consent, provided that you do not hide who you are and every email contains a valid way to opt out. Anyone who asks to stop receiving emails must be taken off the list and not contacted again.

Be careful with smaller exhibitors. A sole trader or a partnership outside Scotland counts as an individual subscriber, and the stricter rule applies: consent, or the soft opt-in, which only covers existing customers who bought from you or negotiated with you and were given the chance to refuse.

Whenever an address identifies a person. A generic address such as info@ or sales@ usually does not, while an address built from an employee's name is personal data. For those, you need a lawful basis, and for B2B outreach that is typically legitimate interests, supported by a short written assessment that balances your interest against the recipient's.

Three duties follow. Tell people where you got their details and how to object, at the latest in your first email. Keep the data only as long as you need it. And treat an objection to direct marketing as final: once someone objects, you stop.

Each EU country implements the ePrivacy rules in its own law, and the B2B position differs. Some countries allow marketing email to companies with an opt-out; others require consent for businesses too. Germany is the best-known example: under its unfair competition law (UWG), marketing emails generally need prior express consent, whether the recipient is a consumer or a company.

A fair in Germany or the Netherlands attracts exhibitors from many countries, so a single list can fall under several sets of rules. Where the recipient is based is what counts, and the GDPR applies to any personal data in the list.

• A way to unsubscribe: a visible link in the email and a technical one-click header (List-Unsubscribe). Anyone who unsubscribes goes onto a suppression list and receives nothing further.
• Sender identity: who the email is from must be clear, with the company name and a real reply address. Concealing the sender is a breach in itself.
• A postal address: the sender's contact address belongs in commercial email. UK companies also have to show their registered details on business letters, which is generally taken to include email.

A campaign that passes the legal test still has to pass the mailbox providers' filters. Since 2024, Google and Yahoo have required bulk senders to authenticate their domain, to offer one-click unsubscribe and to keep spam complaint rates low. Five habits make the difference between the inbox and the spam folder:

• Verify before sending: every email to an invalid address bounces, and a high bounce rate marks your domain.
• Build sending reputation gradually: a new sending address cannot send hundreds of emails on day one. It needs a preparation period, and a separate domain for first contact at scale protects your main domain.
• Keep volumes steady: spread sending across working hours with a daily limit per sending address. A single bulk blast is the fastest way to get flagged.
• Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC: without these records, good content still gets filtered.
• Avoid tracking pixels: open tracking follows recipients without telling them and is often flagged. Honest measures are sent, delivered, bounced and replied.

• Is the source of the list known, and can I explain my right to contact these recipients?
• Which countries are the recipients in, and do any of them require consent for B2B email?
• Have the addresses been verified before sending?
• Does every email have an unsubscribe link, sender identity and a postal address?
• Are unsubscribes and objections processed automatically through a suppression list?
• Is the volume spread over a plan, or is everything going out at once?

This article is general information, not legal advice. For an assessment of your own campaign, speak to a qualified adviser. The responsibilities on the platform are set out in the Terms of Use, and how personal data is handled in the Privacy Notice.

Do I need consent to email a company in the UK?

Under PECR, marketing emails to corporate subscribers such as limited companies and LLPs do not need prior consent. You must identify yourself and give a valid address for opting out. Sole traders and some partnerships are treated as individuals and need consent or the soft opt-in.

Does the UK GDPR apply to a generic address such as info@?

A generic company address usually does not identify a person, so the UK GDPR often does not apply to it. An address that names an employee, such as a first name and surname, is personal data, and you need a lawful basis such as legitimate interests.

Are the rules the same for exhibitors in the EU?

No. The ePrivacy rules are implemented nationally, so B2B email rules differ between EU countries. Germany, for example, generally requires prior consent for marketing emails to businesses as well. Check the rules of the recipient's country before sending.