How to follow up after a trade show: a 30-day plan for exporters

Why follow-up decides the show

The stand, travel and samples are paid for before the show opens. The return comes later, from the buyers you keep talking to. Yet the weeks after a show are when exporters are busiest: catching up on orders that waited, unpacking, travelling home. Follow-up slips, and buyers who were interested hear from a competitor first.

The fix isn't working harder after the show. It's deciding before the show what you'll send, to whom, and when, so that after the show you're only filling in names.

Before the show

• Pick a tag for the show. For example "Gulfood 2026". Every lead you meet gets it, so you can find them together later.
• Prepare your product information. A one-page summary or online product sheet for the range you're showing, with specs, packing, MOQ and indicative prices or "price on request". Print its QR code on a card at the stand.
• Write your follow-up messages now. A thank-you message, two or three follow-ups and a last message. You'll personalise them later, but the hard part is done.
• Agree who owns what. If several people staff the stand, decide who enters leads and who follows up which markets.

At the stand: capture what you'll need later

A business card tells you who someone is, not what they wanted. Write the rest down while you remember it: on the back of the card, in a notes app, or straight into your CRM. For each serious conversation, try to note:

• Products they asked about, and any grade, size or packing they mentioned.
• Their market and the kind of business: importer, distributor, wholesaler, retailer, food manufacturer.
• Rough volume and timing. A trial container next quarter is a different lead from "we buy every month".
• What you promised: samples, a price for a given Incoterm and port, a certificate, a call.
• How they want to be contacted: WhatsApp, email, or both.

If you plan to message buyers on WhatsApp through the WhatsApp Business Platform, ask at the stand whether you may send them your offer there. A clear yes is the permission WhatsApp expects you to have.

The 30-day follow-up plan

Count the days from the last day of the show. Adjust the spacing to your trade, but keep the order.

Stop the sequence as soon as a buyer replies. From then on it's a conversation, not a campaign.

Sorting leads by priority

Not every card deserves the same effort. Sort leads within a day of the show:

• Hot: asked for a price, samples or a meeting, with a market and volume that fit you. Follow up personally, the same week.
• Warm: a real buyer of your products, but no immediate need. Put them in the sequence above.
• Cold: collected a brochure, or not a good fit. Send the thank-you and product sheet, and add them to occasional updates if they agreed.

Use tags for priority as well as for the show, so you can send each group the right sequence.

Message templates

Replace the brackets. Keep the first message short; the product sheet carries the detail.

Hi [First name],

Thank you for stopping by our stand at [Show]. I enjoyed our conversation about [product] for [their market].

Here is our current range, with specifications, packing and MOQ: [product sheet link]

As promised, I'll send [price / sample details / certificate] by [day]. If anything else would help you evaluate us, just reply here.

Best regards,
[Name], [Company]

Hi [First name], it's [Name] from [Company]. We met at [Show] about [product]. Thanks for your time! Here's our range with specs and packing: [link]. Would you like a price for [Incoterm, port]?

Hi [First name],

Following up on [product]. I've added [the full specification / photos of our [packing] / our [certificate]] in case it helps: [link]

Is [product] something you're planning to buy in the next few months?

[Name]

Hi [First name],

I don't want to fill your inbox, so this is my last note for now. If [product] becomes relevant later, our range stays up to date here: [link], and I'm happy to quote any time.

Wishing you a good season,
[Name]

Common mistakes

• Waiting until you're "back to normal". By then the buyer has had quotes from others.
• A generic mass email. One line that shows you remember the conversation is worth more than a long brochure.
• Large attachments. Big PDFs are often filtered or ignored. Send a link.
• Following up without adding anything. "Just checking in" gives the buyer nothing to reply to. Add a fact or ask a question.
• No record of who said what. Two colleagues writing to the same buyer, or nobody writing at all.

Doing it in Abanro