‍You Have a Trade Show in Two Weeks. Here's Exactly What to Do.

VivaTech. Salon des Entrepreneurs. A vertical SaaS conference. Doesn't matter which one — the playbook is the same. Most reps show up hoping to stumble into conversations. The ones who fill their calendars before the badge is even printed? They started 14 days out.

Here's the timeline that works.

Day -14: Get the list. Any version of the list.

Some events release a full attendee file. Most don't. But every trade show publishes its exhibitor list — and that's already a goldmine.

If you have the attendee CSV: perfect, skip ahead.

If you don't: go through the exhibitor list company by company. Open the Zeliq Chrome extension directly on each company's LinkedIn page. Filter by job title. Your target is Head of Sales at a 50-person SaaS? You'll find them in 30 seconds. Add them to Zeliq. Repeat.

Either way, aim for 150-200 contacts minimum. At a conversion rate of 5-8% from sequence to meeting booked, that's 8-16 calendar slots filled before you've even packed your bag.

Day -12: Enrich everything in one batch.

You've got names and companies. Now you need phone numbers and emails.

Go to the Enrichment Hub. Upload your CSV. Select what you want — email, phone, or both. Hit launch. You'll get an email when it's done (usually within minutes for lists under 200 contacts).

Once it lands: click "Add to prospects", and your enriched contacts live in your Zeliq workspace. Use the "Detailed Source" filter → select your file name → your trade show list is isolated in two clicks.

Ready for outreach.

Day -10 to -7: Launch a 3 or 4-step sequence. Not earlier, not later.

This window is deliberate. Earlier than 10 days out, you're a vague memory by the time the event arrives. Later than 7 days, their agenda is locked.

The sequence doesn't need to be long — it needs to be multichannel. One LinkedIn action, two emails, one call if relevant. Here's what actually works:

• Day 1: LinkedIn connection request, short note mentioning the event
• Day 3: Email — reference a talk, a shared challenge, or something specific to their industry. Under 80 words.
• Day 6: Follow-up email — "Are you around on [date]? 15 minutes at our booth or a coffee nearby?"
• Optional Day 7: Call — only if they've opened or engaged

One setting worth activating: pause the sequence if a lead is on vacation. Nothing kills credibility faster than getting three outreach messages while someone's OOO.

Select your prospects in "My Prospects," click "Add to a sequence," configure, launch.

The day of the event.

Your calendar already has 10 meetings on it. You're not cold-approaching strangers — you're following up on warm conversations you started last week. The booth traffic becomes a bonus, not the plan.

That's the difference between showing up and being prepared.

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