How to use a trade fair exhibitor catalogue to find customers

A fair's exhibitor list is perhaps the most useful company list you can get for free. It is public, up to date, and every company on it has paid to be there. You do not need to attend to use it: it tells you who is active in your sector, what they sell and when they are in sales mode. This guide explains how to turn that list into a set of accounts with a reason to write to them.

1. Pick the fair that matters

Not every fair is worth it. Look for those that bring together your buyers, distributors or specifiers. If you sell to wineries, look at winery machinery fairs; if you sell to water companies, the sector's fairs; if you sell to manufacturing, subcontracting fairs. Note the dates: the list is usually complete a few weeks before.

2. Filter

Many lists let you filter by country, province or category. Questions that help:

• Are they in your region or in a country where you want to grow?
• Do they manufacture or only distribute? How big do they look?
• Are they buyers, specifiers, competitors or complementary companies?
• Are they subsidiaries of a foreign group that decides abroad?

Remove what does not fit: associations, media, direct competitors and companies that are not your typical customer.

3. Clean and prioritise

• Remove duplicates (the same company with two stands or two brands).
• Visit their website and confirm they do what they seem to: it is the filter that saves most time later.
• Score each account from 1 to 3 for fit and from 0 to 3 for signals (what they have published, what they look for, whether they hire salespeople).

4. The reason to write is the fair

“I saw you are exhibiting at Enomaq in January” is a real reason, with a date and an audience. It is better than “I am writing because you sell something interesting”. A short message can say:

1. What you saw: that they are in the fair's list.
2. What interests you about their case: one concrete sentence about what they sell.
3. A simple question, yes or no.

Never say you will be at the fair if you are not. Say only what you know.

5. Choose the channel and respect the rules

Each channel has conditions: commercial email between companies is regulated in Spain, phone calls have their rules, and LinkedIn limits automation. Before sending anything, check your case with an adviser, always offer a visible opt-out and respect exclusion lists. This is not legal advice.

6. Timing: before and after the fair

• 10 to 4 weeks before: exhibitors are preparing the fair and are most receptive to related offers.
• After the fair: many are left with contacts and no trade fair lead follow-up. A message a few days later can be timely.

What you can do and what we can do

Doing this in a spreadsheet works, but takes hours per fair. We build and run prospecting: we pull the exhibitor lists, clean them, identify who decides and write with a reason. If you want to see an example with your market, ask us for 5 companies that fit you, with no commitment. If you are a manufacturer, there is more on customer acquisition for manufacturers on this page.