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Your show countdown, with real dates.
Generic advice says "start 6 months out." This checklist takes your actual show and turns every deadline into a calendar date — including the freight and drayage cut-offs that quietly decide what the show costs. Ticks are saved on this device.
Counting down to BDNY 2026, Nov 8, 2026 · progress: 0/22
6 months before
past — catch up now · May 12, 20263 months before
past — catch up now · Aug 10, 20266 weeks before
past — catch up now · Sep 27, 20262 weeks before
by Oct 25, 2026Day before
by Nov 7, 2026During the show
by Nov 8, 2026Within 48h after
by Nov 10, 2026Common questions
When should I start preparing for a trade show as an exhibitor?▼
Six months out for space selection and budgeting, three months for booth build and hotels, six weeks for freight deadlines, two weeks for lead capture and meetings. The freight/drayage advance deadline is the one that catches most teams — miss it and you pay show-site rates on everything.
What are the most commonly forgotten items?▼
Testing lead capture before day one, writing the follow-up email before the show, and the advance-freight deadline. All three are cheap to do early and expensive to discover late.
What questions should a buyer ask at every booth?▼
MOQ, unit price at three quantity breaks, lead time, tooling cost and ownership, certifications, payment terms, Incoterm, sample cost and timing, and the HS code they ship under. Capture the answers at the booth — by day three every conversation blurs.
The item most teams skip
"Set up lead capture — and test it" takes two minutes in a chat app.
BoothBot turns a photo of a card or badge into a structured lead in a Google Sheet you own — WhatsApp, Telegram, or WeChat. Free for your first 24 hours: test it from your desk today, work it at the booth next week.
Try BoothBot free