How to follow up trade fair leads: a 14-day plan for exporters

Key takeaways

• Volume is real. APEDA reports that the Gulfood 2026 exhibitors it facilitated averaged 120-150 enquiries each [1]. Without a system, most go unanswered.
• The log comes first. Log on the stand, not after the flight home: the notes you write the same day are the ones you'll understand later.
• Grade before you write. Serious, verifiable buyers get a full reply first. Vague contacts get a short one asking for the missing details.
• Attach the document they need. Usually the spec sheet, not a brochure.
• Two follow-ups, then stop. Persistence without new information reads as spam.

Why do trade fair leads go cold?

Mostly because the follow-up is slow, generic or missing the document the buyer needs. Exhibitors return home to a backlog of normal work, and the fair contacts wait.

What the buyer sees in the meantime. The buyer met many suppliers that week. The ones who reply first, specifically and with the right attachment are easier to take forward. The others are easier to drop.

There's a second reason that has nothing to do with speed. When the buyer searches your company name, they may find too little to trust: no verified Google listing, no product page, no address. That has to be fixed before the fair. Our guide to why foreign buyers don't reply covers the full list.

What should you set up before the fair?

Three things: a lead log, a grading rule and an owner. All three take an afternoon.

• A lead log. A sheet with one row per contact:
• date and time;
• name, company and country;
• what they buy, quantity and destination, if stated;
• your notes;
• a photo of the card;
• the grade;
• next step and date;
• status.
• A grading rule, written down, so two people grade the same contact the same way (see below).
• An owner: one named person who sends every follow-up, with a deputy for when they're away.
• Ready-made documents: a spec sheet per product, a short company profile, and your price basis (Incoterm and port) agreed internally.

The 14-day plan

Days 0-1: log everything

1. Log each contact on the stand, within the hour, with what they asked about.
2. Each evening, photograph the day's cards and complete the rows. Mark anything illegible to ask about later.

Days 2-3: grade and send the first follow-up

1. Grade every row (A, B, C or Flag; see the next section).
2. Send personal follow-ups to every A within two working days of the meeting. Name what you discussed, attach the spec sheet for that product, and propose one next step.
3. Send B contacts a short reply asking for exactly the missing details: product, quantity, destination, timeline.
4. Hold C contacts and Flags for a decision. Don't send them documents.

Days 4-7: verify and quote

1. Check the A contacts are real buyers before sending samples or detailed prices. Our guide to verifying a foreign buyer has the checks.
2. Send quotations to buyers who gave enough detail. Use a quotation that lets them compare like with like; see the export quotation format.
3. Log every reply and move each row to its next status.

Days 8-14: the second follow-up, and closing the loop

1. Around day 7 after your first message, follow up once with each A and B contact who hasn't replied. Bring something new: a sample offer, an updated spec sheet, availability for their timeline.
2. Answer every reply within one working day.
3. On day 14, close the loop. Mark contacts with no reply after two follow-ups as "quiet", and leave them for a single check-in next season, with a reason.
4. Count what happened: enquiries logged, replies, quotations sent, samples requested.
5. Write down what you'd change before the next fair, while you remember.

How do you grade a lead?

Grade by two things: how specific the request is, and whether the company can be checked. A simple four-grade rule works:

What should the first follow-up say?

Who you are, what you discussed, the document they need and one next step. Keep it short:

Subject: Gulfood 2027: [product] from [your company], as discussed

Dear [name],

Thank you for visiting our stand on [day]. You asked about [product, grade] for [destination].

I've attached our spec sheet (version [n], [date]). Our usual packing is [packing], and our MOQ is [quantity].

Could you confirm the quantity and delivery month you have in mind? Then I'll send a quotation [Incoterm and port].

[Name, title], [company]
[WhatsApp number] · [website]

Our guide on how to reply to an export enquiry covers the first reply in more detail.

What should you attach?

The spec sheet for the product they asked about, and nothing heavier.

• Spec sheet (PDF, one page, with a version date). See what a spec sheet contains.
• Company profile, only if they asked, and only one page.
• Certificates, only the ones you actually hold, with their validity dates.

Leave out: price lists without context, 20-page catalogues, and photos of products you didn't discuss.

How many times should you follow up?

Twice, each with something new, then stop. The first follow-up goes within two working days; the second around a week later. After that, a contact who hasn't replied goes to "quiet". Silence after two useful messages is an answer.

Next step. Before the fair, check what buyers will find when they search your company. The free Buyer Check lists your 3 most important gaps in a one-page report.