US Trade Shows and Exhibitor Lists: A Guide for Suppliers

In Europe, fairs are mostly run by the companies that own the exhibition grounds. In the US, many large shows are owned by an industry association: CES by the Consumer Technology Association, the NRA Show by the National Restaurant Association, IMTS by the manufacturing technology association AMT and PACK EXPO by the packaging machinery association PMMI. Visitors are therefore mostly people from the industry itself: buyers, engineers, dealers and distributors. A few terms you will meet:

Trade show

The usual American term for a trade fair. Show names often end in Expo or Show.

Exhibitor directory

The organiser's online list of exhibitors, usually with company name, booth number and a short profile. Email addresses are rarely included.

Booth

The American word for a stand, numbered on the floor plan.

Distributor or rep

A distributor buys and resells on its own account. An independent sales representative (manufacturer's rep) sells on commission and is common in many US industries.

Most large US shows gather in a handful of cities. The show names below are general knowledge; dates come only from the live table.

The calendar is busiest in spring and autumn; midsummer and the year-end holidays are quieter. Some large shows run every two or three years: IMTS and PACK EXPO International take place in Chicago in even years, while PACK EXPO moves to Las Vegas in odd years. These are general patterns, so check the official show website for exact dates.

Show pages in our directory: CES, NRA Show, IMTS, PACK EXPO, SEMA Show and IAAPA Expo. Names without a link have no upcoming edition in the directory yet.

Showing 15 shows. Every upcoming show is in the US trade fair calendar, and all fairs with a ready list are on the exhibitor lists page.

The US is a large but fragmented market. One importer rarely covers the whole country, and in many industries distributors work region by region. Keep that in mind when you select companies:

• Choose channels, not competitors: American manufacturers are often your competitors; distributors, importers and brand owners looking for private label supply are your prospects.
• Name your certifications early: depending on the product, buyers ask about FDA registration, a safety listing from a testing laboratory such as UL for electrical goods, or an industry standard.
• Be clear on price and delivery: quote in US dollars with the Incoterm and lead time. Whether you hold stock in the US is a frequent question.
• Reply quickly: American buyers expect short, direct correspondence, and a same-day answer builds trust.

For a wider comparison of sales channels, see How to Find International B2B Customers.

The federal framework for commercial email in the US is the CAN-SPAM Act, enforced by the Federal Trade Commission. According to the FTC's compliance guide for business, it covers business-to-business email and does not set a general prior consent requirement. Instead, every commercial message must meet these rules:

• Header and routing information must be accurate and identify the sender.
• The subject line must not mislead about the content.
• The message must make clear that it is an advertisement.
• It must include the sender's valid physical postal address.
• It must offer a clear way to opt out; requests must be honoured within 10 business days, and the mechanism must work for at least 30 days after sending.

The FTC guide states that each separate email in violation can incur penalties of up to $53,088 (the amount is adjusted from time to time), and some states have their own rules. As a UK business you remain responsible under UK GDPR for how you handle personal data. Every Expomatik campaign email carries an unsubscribe link and sender details; the content and the choice of recipients remain the sender's responsibility. For UK and EU rules, see Is It Legal to Email Trade Fair Exhibitors?. This section is general information, not legal advice.

The US changes its clocks on the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November, the UK on the last Sundays of March and October. For most of the year the gap from the UK is:

A message sent between 1 pm and 4 pm in the UK reaches the East Coast in the morning. Write for an American reader: dates as month, day and year, imperial units alongside metric, prices in dollars. Short paragraphs and one clear question get more replies than a long company profile.

• Eight weeks before: open the list in your account and sort companies by state and type (distributor, manufacturer, retailer). Check travel requirements for the US early.
• Four weeks before: send a short note with your booth number or a proposed meeting time. Our meeting request templates cover timing and wording.
• Show week: confirm meetings in the local time zone; booth meetings at US shows tend to be short and scheduled.
• After the show: summarise the conversation within a week, with prices and samples. Our guide to trade fair follow-up covers the next steps.

These time frames are rough practical guidance, not measured figures.

In Expomatik the list is opened in your account, campaigns go to each company's general address and opens are not tracked; replies show the result. The price of a list is shown before you open it; see Pricing. How exhibitor data is compiled is explained in How to Get a Trade Fair Exhibitor List.

Do I need consent to email US companies?

The federal CAN-SPAM Act does not set a general prior consent requirement for commercial email. It requires accurate sender details, a subject line that does not mislead, a valid postal address and a working way to opt out, and it covers business-to-business email. This is general information, not legal advice.

When should I send emails to US exhibitors from the UK?

The US East Coast is usually five hours behind the UK, Central time six and Pacific time eight. An email sent in the UK early afternoon reaches the East Coast in the morning. For a few weeks in March and around the end of October the gap is one hour shorter, because the clocks change on different dates.

Is a US trade show exhibitor list still useful after the show?

Yes. The list shows companies that are active in the sector, and they remain your prospects after the doors close. The first two weeks after a show are a reasonable time for a short introduction, particularly for manufacturers looking for distributors.

Whose address does a campaign reach?

Expomatik campaigns go to the company's general contact address, such as info or sales. There is no targeting of named decision-makers. Ask in the first line for the message to be passed to the right person.