Follow up with trade fair contacts within a few working days, while the conversation is still fresh: one personal email that refers to what you discussed, followed by a reminder and, where it fits, a call. Keep each message lawful under PECR and the UK GDPR, and judge success by replies and meetings, not opens.
A fair produces a stack of business cards and scanned badges in three days. What happens to them in the following three weeks decides whether the stand paid for itself. This guide covers the timing, the channels, the rules for UK and EU contacts and the measures that tell you whether the follow-up worked.
When should you follow up after a trade fair?
The first message should go out while your contact still remembers the conversation. Within one to three working days of the fair is a common target; after two weeks, most people struggle to place your name. Do not send everything on the evening the fair closes, either: your contacts are travelling, and their inbox is at its fullest.
| Step | Rough timing after the fair |
|---|---|
| Personal follow-up that names what you discussed | 1 to 3 working days |
| Short reminder with something useful (a price, a sample, a date) | About one week later |
| Call for warm contacts who have not replied | Second week |
| Last message, then move the contact to a long-term list or close it | Three to four weeks |
These time frames are rough practical guidance, not measured figures. Adapt them to your sector and the length of your sales cycle.
What should you record at the stand?
A good follow-up starts during the fair. A business card on its own tells you who someone is, not why they stopped at your stand. Record a few facts for every conversation, on paper, in a lead app or in a badge scanner:
- Contact
- Name, company, role and the address or number they asked you to use.
- Context
- What they asked about, which product or project, and any figures mentioned.
- Promise
- What you agreed to send or do: a quote, a sample, a call with a colleague.
- Priority
- A simple grade such as hot, warm or cold, so the hot leads are handled first.
- Permission
- Whether the contact agreed to receive marketing emails, and the wording they agreed to.
The last line matters most for contacts in countries that require consent. Asking at the stand, with a short line on the lead form and a link to your privacy notice, is far easier than trying to prove permission later.
Which channel works best for the first follow-up?
Email is the usual first step: it is easy to forward to colleagues, it can carry the quote or brochure you promised, and it leaves a written record. Other channels support it rather than replace it.
- Email: the first personal message and the reminders. Plain text with one clear request reads like a letter from a person, not a newsletter.
- Phone: for warm contacts who asked for a call or have not replied. In the UK, screen numbers against the TPS and the Corporate TPS before unsolicited marketing calls, unless the person has told you they want to hear from you.
- Professional networks: a connection request that mentions the fair keeps the contact within reach, but a long sales message there rarely gets read.
- Post: a printed catalogue or a sample can work well for buyers who handle physical products.
What should the first follow-up email say?
Short and specific. The contact met dozens of exhibitors; your email has to tell them in the first two lines who you are and why you are writing. A structure that works:
- A subject line that names the fair and the topic, for example the product you discussed.
- One sentence that recalls the conversation: where you met and what they asked about.
- What you promised, attached or linked: the quote, the specification, the sample request.
- One clear next step, such as a 20-minute call on a suggested day.
- Your name, company, postal address and a working way to opt out of further marketing.
Avoid sending the same mass message to every badge you scanned. A contact who stopped for two minutes to ask about delivery times and a buyer who spent half an hour on your stand need different emails.
What do PECR and the UK GDPR require?
Two sets of rules apply in the UK. PECR covers the marketing message itself. Marketing emails to corporate subscribers, such as limited companies and LLPs, do not need prior consent, but you must not hide who you are and every email needs a valid way to opt out. Sole traders and some partnerships are individual subscribers: they need consent, or the soft opt-in, which only applies when you collected their details during a sale or negotiations for a sale and gave them a chance to refuse.
The UK GDPR covers the personal data. A business card with a name on it is personal data, so you need a lawful basis, typically legitimate interests for B2B follow-up, and you must tell the person how you use their details. When you collect the card yourself, give that information at the time of collection, for example with a short notice on your lead form. Anyone who objects to direct marketing is taken off the list for good.
Contacts from EU countries
A fair in Germany or the Netherlands brings contacts from many countries, and the rules of the recipient's country apply. Germany, for example, generally requires prior consent for marketing emails to businesses as well. Our guide Is It Legal to Email Trade Fair Exhibitors? explains the differences. This article is general information, not legal advice.
How do you measure follow-up results?
Measure what leads to business. Open rates look precise but are not: they depend on a tracking pixel, many mail apps block remote images, and Apple's Mail Privacy Protection loads them in the background whether or not the message was read. Count these instead:
| Measure | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Replies | Whether the message was relevant enough to answer, including polite refusals. |
| Meetings or calls booked | Whether the follow-up moved the conversation forward. |
| Quotes sent and opportunities | Whether the fair contacts turn into pipeline, per fair and per sector. |
| Bounces | Whether the addresses you collected are correct. A high rate harms your sending reputation. |
| Unsubscribes and objections | Whether your targeting and tone fit the audience. |
Compare the results per fair. After two or three events, you will know which fairs bring buyers and which only bring visitors, and that is a better basis for next year's budget than footfall at the stand.
What about exhibitors you did not manage to meet?
No team can visit every relevant stand. The exhibitor list shows who else was there, and those companies can be contacted after the fair, provided the rules of their country allow it. Expomatik compiles exhibitor lists with verified business addresses; campaigns go to each company's general address, and no open-tracking pixel is used. Ways to find a list are compared in How to Get a Trade Fair Exhibitor List, and the dates of the major German fairs are in our German trade fair calendar.
Frequently asked questions
- How soon should you follow up after a trade fair?
- Within a few working days is common practice, while your conversation is still fresh in the contact's mind. Many exhibitors return to a full inbox after the fair, so a short, specific message that names what you discussed stands out more than a generic thank-you.
- Can I email someone who gave me their business card at the stand?
- In the UK, PECR does not require consent for marketing emails to corporate subscribers such as limited companies, but you must identify yourself and offer an opt-out. A named business address is personal data under the UK GDPR, so you need a lawful basis and must tell the person how you use their details. Rules differ in EU countries such as Germany.
- How many follow-up emails should I send?
- As a rough guide, one personal follow-up and one or two reminders spaced over a few weeks are enough. Stop as soon as the contact replies, declines or asks not to be contacted, and record that preference.
- Why not measure email open rates?
- Open rates rely on tracking pixels, which many mail apps block or load automatically. Apple's Mail Privacy Protection, for example, can load images without the recipient reading the message. Replies, meetings booked and opportunities created are more reliable measures.