Trade Show

A trade show is where an industry does its shopping in person. Exhibitors rent booths on the show floor, buyers walk the aisles, and success is measured in qualified conversations, which is why trade shows lean so heavily on badge scanning and lead retrieval. Entry is restricted to the trade, so registration usually asks for company, job title and industry, and some shows check credentials before they issue a badge.

Trade show is the US word; the UK says exhibition, and much of Europe says trade fair. The industry's own glossary defines a trade show as an exhibition closed to the general public and calls the public version a consumer show, while expo gets used loosely for either. US shows also talk about the show floor, booths and drayage, words a UK exhibitor will meet in any US exhibitor manual.

At an eventcloud trade show, attendees and booth staff check in from one link on any phone or tablet, and exhibitors capture leads with lead retrieval on their own phones.