A trade fair exhibitor list is the list of companies that take a stand at a trade fair, usually with company name, country, hall and stand number. You can get one from the organiser's online catalogue, the event app, PDF catalogues, your own research, or a ready list that already includes verified business email addresses.
What does an exhibitor list contain?
The terms below are used differently from one organiser to the next. Knowing which one you are looking at tells you how much work is still ahead before you can contact anyone.
- Exhibitor directory
- The organiser's online catalogue of exhibitors. Usually name, country, hall and stand; sometimes product groups.
- Floor plan
- A map of halls and stands. Useful for planning visits, but it rarely lists more than the company name.
- PDF catalogue
- The printed or PDF edition of the catalogue for one year, fixed at the time it was produced.
- Verified list
- Exhibitors with a business email address that has been checked before sending, and the source of each record.
Where can you find the official exhibitor list?
Most large trade fairs publish their exhibitors on the fair website, under names such as exhibitor list, exhibitor directory or exhibitor search. This is the most reliable source, because the information comes straight from the organiser.
The catch: the directory normally shows only the company name, country and stand number. The business email address and a contact person, which you need for sales, are not part of it and have to be found company by company. Some organisers also remove the directory after the fair, so a list you have not saved can disappear.
Do trade fair apps give better access?
Many large fairs offer an app or a matchmaking platform for visitors and exhibitors. Company profiles there can be richer than in the directory, sometimes with product groups and a contact form.
The catch: there is no bulk access. You open profiles one at a time, messages through the app are often limited, and access usually ends when the fair closes.
Are PDF catalogues and past editions still useful?
Some fairs distribute the exhibitor list as a PDF, and catalogues from earlier years circulate on industry websites. If this year's list is not out yet, last year's is a good first step: at large fairs a significant share of exhibitors come back every year.
The catch: taking companies out of a PDF is slow, and the list may be out of date, with closed firms, changed names and email addresses that no longer work. Sending to an old list without checking it means a high bounce rate, and that lowers the reputation of your sending address.
How long does it take to build a list by hand?
Working through the directory, company websites and LinkedIn is possible and sensible for a short target list of 20 to 30 companies. Most teams underestimate the real cost: finding and checking contact details takes several minutes per company, often close to a quarter of an hour once you include searching the sources. For a fair with 500 exhibitors, that means weeks of work and a hand-typed table with a high error rate.
A rough calculation
One person compiling about 15 companies an hour needs more than four full working days for 500 companies. Multiply that by the hourly cost of a qualified employee and the option that looks free often turns out to be the most expensive one.
What should a ready-made exhibitor list include?
A ready list is the result of manual research done for you: compiled from catalogues, completed with a business email address and verified before sending. Be selective here as well. A good provider offers all three of the following:
- A stated source for every record: which catalogue or website it came from. Stay away from “million-row” lists of unclear origin.
- Verification before sending: invalid addresses should not reach the list, and you should not pay for them.
- Compliance tools: unsubscribe, a suppression list and sender identity set up from the start (see the legal guide linked below).
This is the work Expomatik does. The Trade Fair Exhibitor Lists page shows which fairs already have a ready list; the price is shown before you open a list, and small lists are free. The full process is described on How It Works.
Which option fits your situation?
| Situation | Suggested route |
|---|---|
| Only 10 to 20 target companies at one fair | Manual research (directory and company websites) |
| The fair has been announced but there is no list yet | Last year's catalogue, plus a request to be told when the list is ready |
| Hundreds of companies to reach before the fair | A ready verified list and planned email outreach |
| You only plan to visit stands | The organiser's directory and the fair app are enough |
Whichever route you choose, two rules stay the same: verify the addresses before sending (your reputation is worth more than the list) and follow the rules for marketing emailin the recipient's country. The details are in our guide to emailing trade fair exhibitors legally.
Frequently asked questions
- Are trade fair exhibitor lists public?
- Most organisers publish exhibitor names in an online catalogue, often with country, hall and stand number. Email addresses and contact names are usually not included, and some catalogues are taken offline after the event.
- When is the exhibitor list of a trade fair published?
- Organisers usually publish the catalogue in the months before the fair and keep adding companies as stands are confirmed. The list often changes until shortly before opening, so it is worth checking again close to the date.
- Can I use last year's exhibitor list?
- It is a useful starting point, because many exhibitors at large fairs return every year. Verify the addresses before sending: older lists contain closed companies and outdated emails, and a high bounce rate harms your sender reputation.