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A Trade Show Exhibit Questionnaire is a structured intake form that captures every logistical, technical, and marketing detail an exhibitor needs to coordinate before setting up at a trade show or industry expo. It consolidates booth dimensions, AV and electrical requirements, freight and shipping information, staffing headcount, badge requests, and business objectives into a single document β giving exhibit houses, event coordinators, and marketing teams a complete brief before any vendor orders are placed or shipments dispatched. The form is used both internally by exhibiting companies to organize their own planning and externally by exhibit houses and show organizers to gather specifications from clients.
Walking into a trade show without a completed exhibit questionnaire means critical details live in disconnected emails, spreadsheets, and memory β and the consequences are concrete. Missed electrical order deadlines cost 30β50% more in rush surcharges. Freight shipped to the wrong address misses the advance warehouse window and triggers premium drayage fees. Badge registrations submitted late turn complimentary allotments into $200β$500-per-person charges. Without a documented lead target, post-show ROI analysis is impossible and future exhibit budgets are nearly impossible to defend. This template gives you a single source of truth that feeds every vendor order form, keeps your team aligned, and creates the paper trail you need to measure results and improve with every show.
| If your situation is⦠| Use this template |
|---|---|
| Exhibiting at a large trade show with custom booth construction | Trade Show Exhibit Questionnaire (Full) |
| Collecting exhibitor details as an event organizer | Exhibitor Registration Form |
| Planning pre-event marketing and promotional activities | Event Marketing Plan |
| Tracking leads captured at the booth during the show | Trade Show Lead Tracking Form |
| Evaluating post-show ROI and performance | Trade Show Evaluation Report |
| Requesting services from the official show decorator or general contractor | Exhibitor Services Order Form |
| Budgeting total costs across multiple shows in a calendar year | Trade Show Budget Template |
Why it matters: Shipping to the venue's general address instead of the show-specific freight address causes misdirected shipments that miss advance warehouse deadlines and trigger expensive rush drayage fees.
Fix: Copy the exact freight address from the official show services manual for each shipment label β never use the venue's public website address.
Why it matters: Without a documented lead target or business objective, there is no baseline for post-show ROI analysis, and future exhibit budgets become difficult to justify internally.
Fix: Set at least one numeric goal β a lead count, a number of scheduled demos, or a number of partner meetings β before the show and record it on the form.
Why it matters: Devices ordered without accounting for combined wattage overload the circuit, trip breakers during the show, and require emergency electrical service calls at premium rates.
Fix: Add up the wattage of every device, divide by 120 to get amps, and add a 20% buffer before placing your electrical order.
Why it matters: Late badge registrations are billed at full walk-in rates β $200β$500 per person at major trade shows β turning a free staff benefit into an unplanned expense.
Fix: Set a calendar reminder 2 weeks before the badge registration deadline and submit all names, including alternates, in a single batch submission.
Fill in the exhibiting company's legal name, the primary contact responsible for show logistics, their direct phone, and a monitored email address.
π‘ Use a shared team inbox (e.g., events@yourcompany.com) rather than a personal address so coverage continues during move-in week.
Enter the official show name, venue, city, and all relevant dates β including move-in and move-out. Add your booth number and exact dimensions as shown on the show floor plan.
π‘ Download the official show floor plan and screenshot your booth location β attach it to the completed form for reference during planning.
Itemize every screen, device, and system you plan to use at the booth. Note whether each item is rented from the show, brought by your team, or sourced through an EAC.
π‘ Check the show services manual for AV rental pricing before deciding β show rentals are often cheaper than shipping large monitors.
Add up the wattage of every device running at the booth and convert to amps. Order at least 20% more capacity than your calculated total to handle startup surges.
π‘ Submit your electrical order before the advance discount deadline β late orders typically cost 30β50% more and may not be fulfilled until after move-in begins.
Record carrier names, tracking numbers, piece counts, and weights. Confirm whether you are shipping to the advance warehouse or direct-to-show, and note the applicable deadline for each.
π‘ Advance warehouse shipping is almost always cheaper than direct β schedule delivery 5β7 business days before the warehouse deadline to absorb any carrier delays.
List every team member attending by full name and title. Flag any VIP or speaker badge requests that require separate handling.
π‘ Cross-reference the show's complimentary badge allotment against your staff count before submitting β knowing your overage cost upfront prevents budget surprises.
Enter your primary show objective, numeric lead target, and any out-of-standard requests such as hanging signs, custom flooring, or accessibility accommodations.
π‘ Route hanging sign and rigging requests to the venue immediately after completing the form β approval timelines of 8β12 weeks are common and non-negotiable.
A trade show exhibit questionnaire is a structured intake form used to capture all logistical, technical, and marketing details needed before an exhibitor sets up at a trade show or industry event. It covers booth dimensions, AV and electrical requirements, shipping information, staffing headcount, and business objectives in a single document, giving event coordinators and exhibit houses a complete brief to work from.
The questionnaire is typically completed by the marketing manager, event coordinator, or operations lead responsible for the exhibit. Exhibit houses and trade show management companies also send this form to their clients at the start of each event engagement to gather specifications before designing or building a booth.
Complete it 6β12 weeks before the show opens. Most show contractors set advance order deadlines β especially for electrical, AV, and hanging signs β 8β10 weeks before move-in. Filling out the questionnaire early ensures you capture all requirements in time to meet those cutoff dates.
Drayage is the fee charged by the official show general contractor to transport your freight from the loading dock to your booth and back at the end of the show. It is billed by weight and is one of the most commonly underestimated trade show costs. Recording shipment weights on the questionnaire lets you estimate and budget drayage fees in advance.
The template structure can be reused for every show, but each instance must be completed fresh. Booth numbers, show dates, freight deadlines, electrical requirements, and badge allotments differ by event. Reusing a filled-out form from a prior show without updating it is a common source of errors β always treat each show as a new form submission.
If freight misses the advance warehouse window, it must be shipped direct-to-show, which typically costs 20β40% more in drayage fees and offers less flexibility on delivery timing. In some cases, show contractors cannot guarantee that direct shipments arriving close to move-in will reach your booth before the show opens.
The questionnaire is your internal planning document and master brief. From it, you generate separate order forms for each show vendor β the general contractor's electrical form, the AV rental order, the badge registration portal, and your freight carrier's bill of lading. Keeping one complete questionnaire on file means you have all the source data in one place when filling out those individual vendor forms.
A certificate of insurance (COI) proves your company carries the minimum liability coverage required by the show venue. The questionnaire includes a field to note whether your COI has been submitted and to record the submission date. Most shows require a COI on file before your booth is permitted on the floor β missing this can result in being barred from move-in.
The exhibit questionnaire is completed before the show to plan logistics and set objectives. The evaluation report is completed after the show to measure results against those objectives β lead count, cost per lead, and ROI. Both documents work as a pair: the questionnaire sets the baseline; the evaluation measures against it.
An event planning checklist is a broad task list covering all aspects of organizing or attending an event β venue, catering, speakers, and marketing. The exhibit questionnaire is a focused intake form capturing the specific technical and logistical specs for a single booth setup. Use the checklist to manage the overall event timeline and the questionnaire to brief exhibit vendors.
An exhibitor services order form is a vendor-specific document submitted to the show's general contractor to order electrical, furniture, cleaning, and AV services. The questionnaire is your internal planning document that feeds those order forms. Complete the questionnaire first, then use its data to fill out each vendor's official order form accurately.
A trade show budget template tracks all projected and actual costs β booth space, shipping, drayage, staffing, and marketing materials. The exhibit questionnaire captures the operational specifications that drive those cost estimates. Fill out the questionnaire first to identify all requirements, then use those details to build an accurate budget.
Heavy AV and demo-station requirements, lead retrieval integration with CRM, and custom booth configurations for product launch announcements at flagship industry events.
Large footprint island booths with heavy equipment displays, significant electrical load for machinery demonstrations, and union-labor jurisdiction considerations at major trade venues.
Regulatory-compliant product demonstration setups, badge-controlled access areas for private clinical discussions, and COI requirements that exceed standard venue minimums.
High-visual inline or corner booths with product display shelving, sampling stations, and point-of-sale demo equipment requiring careful electrical and AV planning.
| Path | Best for | Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use the template | Marketing managers, event coordinators, and small business owners planning any trade show exhibit | Free | 15β30 minutes per show |
| Template + professional review | Companies exhibiting at 5+ shows per year who want a standardized intake process reviewed by an events agency | $200β$500 for an event management consultant review | 1β2 days |
| Custom drafted | Large enterprises with dedicated exhibit programs requiring custom fields, CRM integration, and multi-event workflows | $1,000β$3,000 for a custom exhibit management system or agency buildout | 2β4 weeks |
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