6 Pre-Trade Show Email Templates You Should Be Sending

In-person trade shows are slowly, but surely returning! With all the uncertainty of the past couple of years, this news provides numerous exciting opportunities. Trade shows can give a huge boost to your business and marketing campaign IF you approach them correctly.  

It's quite an ordeal to send your team to a trade show. You should be generating buzz that is going to drive people to your booth long before you arrive to make your time and money count. 

We know, we know -- increasing trade show booth traffic and engaging with prospects prior to the show can be daunting. That’s why we put together this guide of sample emails to send prior to the show to help your team make the most out it.

Pre-Trade Show Email Best Practices

Before we delve into the templates, let’s go over some best practices and rules of thumb for pre-trade show emails.

Keep these in mind while developing your trade show marketing strategy:

• Put together an email calendar. This is a great way to spread out and organize all of the important info you want your contacts to know while making sure you’re not hitting them too frequently or with too much content repetition. It’s also not a bad idea to use this time to plan out your follow-up emails.
  
  
• Coordinate your email calendar with your social media calendar. Make sure you’re participating with the trade show hashtags, and use information crowdsourced from the online trade show conversation to pinpoint what info is valuable to your email list.

• Begin sending emails 8 weeks before the show. Sensing the calendar theme? If your strategy is planned beforehand, you know exactly when and what you are sending week by week.
  
  
• Make sure each email has a call-to-action. Whether it’s a link to read your educational content, register for the show, or view a YouTube video from shows past -- make sure the email reader knows exactly what you want them to do next.
  

>> For more details about trade show best practices to support all efforts in your strategy, check out THE MANUFACTURER'S GUIDE TO EMAIL MARKETING FOR TRADE SHOWS<<  

 6 Trade Show Email Templates to Integrate Into Your Campaign:

Simply copy and paste these samples when the time comes (with a little personalization, of course) and watch your prospects flock to your booth!

1. Reach out to Contacts From Last Year’s Show

Hi <first name>,

Just wanted to drop by and let you know that <your company name> will be at <trade show name> again this year!

You’ll find us at <booth number>, which will feature <product displays / booth characteristics.>  We hope you can stop by and reconnect! We’d love to hear about what <their company name> has been up to in the past year.

Hoping to see you in <trade show city name> in <trade show month>!

Talk soon,

<your name>

If your team put together a list of people they connected with at the show last year, this is the perfect way to reach out and reconnect that relationship.

If possible, it’s great to personalize this email based on the conversation you had with the person, what their company does, or even where they're from!

Pro Tip: If you segment a list to only include past show contacts, be sure to exclude them from other applicable pre-trade show emails where the content may overlap. For example, don’t send this segment a booth announcement email if you’ve already sent this email! Make sure the content is valuable and offers something unique in each email you send.

2. Let Current Customers / Vendors Know You’re Going

Hi <first name>,

We’re excited to announce that <your company name> will be attending <trade show name> this year in <month of trade show>!

We can’t wait to network with others in the industry, learn more about <insert industry product / service>, and take home knowledge we can apply to our current processes.

If you’ll also be in attendance, we’d love to catch up! Stop by <booth number> and say hi.

Interested in registering? Here is a link that you can use! <insert link>

Talk soon,

<your name>

Using this email template for those you currently work with helps assert your business as an industry leader and conveys your dedication to learning more about other businesses.

It’s also a great way to generate traffic at your booth. Even though your current customers won’t be prospects, their interest and presence at your booth will act as social proof for onlooking leads.

What better way to take advantage of your time at the trade show than to get your happy customers generating buzz for you on the floor?!
 

3. Informational Booth Announcement

Hi <first name>,

In <trade show month> we’ll be attending <trade show name> and will be exhibiting at <booth number>!

<Trade show name> will feature:

• <info about educational trade show sessions>
• <info about who attends this trade show>
• <any other info relevant to the show>

Interested in registering? Here is a link that you can use! <insert link>

Hope to see you there!

<your name>

This template is a good catch-all, initial content email, for anyone on your list (including customers or past trade show attendees).

Just remember that if you opt to incorporate one of the previous two emails in your strategy, be sure to exclude those contacts from this email when you’re targeting the rest of your database.

p80 Tip: If your company was given a unique link to drive registrants, be sure to use that in emails that direct people to register. In situations where using your link gives the registrant a discount on the registration fee -- be sure to highlight that in the subject line of your email!

4. Introduce The Trade Show Team

Hi <first name>,

Our team is busy gearing up for <trade show name>. After all, it’s only <time until trade show> away!

Here’s who you can expect to chat with at <booth number>:

• <Team Member Name> <Position> <Email address><Booking link>
• <Team Member Name> <Position> <Email address><Booking link>
• <Team Member Name> <Position> <Email address><Booking link>
• <Team Member Name> <Position> <Email address><Booking link>

Want to grab some time at the show to connect with a member of our team?

Shoot them an email or grab some time right on their calendar to book a spot during the show!

Hope to see you there,

<your name>

This email has tons of room for customization. Here are some options to kick it up a notch:

• Link the “Team Member Name” to their bio on your site.
• Include a photo of each team member.
• Include a fun or interesting fact about each team member.

Also, here is a handy guide to set up HubSpot meetings for your team!

5. Share Educational Content

Hi <first name>,

We’ve been attending <trade show name> for <amount of years> and have accrued some helpful knowledge for first-timers!

Over on our blog we wrote a guide to everything you should see and do while in <trade show city name>, plus tips and tricks for getting the most out of the trade show.

Read it here! <Blog post button CTA or text link>

Plus, check out more resources about <industry>:

• <relevant industry blog>
• <relevant industry blog>
• <services page>

See you at the show!

<first name>

Sending an email like this is a great way to continue developing your brand awareness -- you want to be perceived as an industry resource that is both helpful and knowledgeable. 

If you’re not up for writing a blog post about the trade show, try sharing educational resources that are targeted to the industry and features of the show. Let’s say you know a new gadget for MIG welding will be the focal point -- be sure to share all the resources you’ve accrued about MIG welding over the years.

6. Booth Display Teaser Email     

Hi <first name>,

This year at <trade show name> our booth <booth number> will be featuring <new product name / unique booth design features / etc.>. It’s unlike anything we’ve ever done before for a show, and can’t wait for you to see it.

Our booth will also feature:

• <insert anything you’re giving away for free>
• <insert any entertainment that will be at the booth>
• Friendly members of our team ready to answer any questions you might have.

To check out <booth number> in person, be sure to register for <trade show name>! Click here to register now <insert link>.

If you want to check out our past booths to gear up for this year’s show, take a glimpse back in time on our website <insert link>.

Hope to see you there!

<your name>

Make sure that this email serves as a teaser for the booth, and you don’t give too much away! The goal is to give the reader a good idea of the value of visiting the booth.

p80 Tip: Of course, the more exciting the booth, the easier it is to make it enticing before the show. Check out our Manufacturer’s Ultimate Guide to Trade Show Marketing for tricks on how to make your booth stand out.

Now, Are You Ready to Host?

Your lists are segmented, your outreach is planned, and you're ready to drive traffic to your booth - but is your website ready to support your efforts? 

A strong digital presence is a crucial part of any good trade show strategy to back up your brand before, during, and after the show. If you're not sure if your website is up for the task, check out our "must-have's" guide and get your optimization on:

(Editor's note: This article was originally published in January 2019 and was recently published with new insights & examples.)