To track where wholesale orders come from, give every trade show, email campaign and rep its own link or presentation, and tag orders at the source so each one carries its channel. Then measure trade show ROI on orders plus reorders from show contacts at 90 and 180 days, against the show's all-in cost, not just on what you wrote at the booth.

Key takeaways

• Much of a show's revenue arrives after the show, often through another link or an email, so booth orders alone understate a show.
• Give each show, campaign email and showroom its own presentation or link, with a tag decided before the show.
• Tag a presentation before you share it. The tag applies to orders placed afterward, not to earlier ones.
• Trade show ROI = (show-sourced wholesale revenue − all-in cost) ÷ all-in cost × 100, checked at 90 and 180 days.

Why does order attribution break after a trade show?

Attribution breaks because much of a show's revenue arrives after the show, through channels that don't point back to it. A buyer stops at your booth, takes your card, then orders weeks later from your general line sheet link or by replying to an email. Unless that order carries a source, it looks like any other order and the show gets no credit.

Reps add a second problem. A rep who met the buyer at the show wants credit, and commission, for an order that closes a month later.

This is also why judging a show on booth orders alone can mislead. A founder on the Runsheet blog wrote about paying for a booth and getting one order. Booth orders are a real number, but they're only the first checkpoint. For help choosing which events to book, see how to pick apparel and gift trade shows.

How do you set up one order source per channel?

Give every channel that can produce an order its own presentation or link, so each order records where it started.

• One per show. Use a separate presentation for each event, such as your MAGIC Las Vegas booth, and share it at the booth and in every follow-up.
• One per campaign email. A seasonal preview gets its own link. Your post-show follow-up email reuses the show's link, not your general one.
• One per rep or showroom. Each one shares their own presentation, so their orders stay separate.
• One per standing link. Your Instagram bio or wholesale page gets its own link, so it doesn't absorb show orders.

What tag naming scheme should you use?

Use a channel-detail pattern: a fixed prefix for the channel type, then the specific show, campaign, showroom or link. Reps don't need tags, since each order already names its Sales Agent.

• show-atlanta-winter
• show-magic-vegas
• email-spring-preview
• showroom-dallas
• link-instagram

If you need to keep seasons apart, add the season code your team already uses. Then follow four rules:

1. One tag per source, and never two spellings for one show.
2. Lowercase with hyphens, so tags match exactly.
3. The same prefix for every channel type: show-, email-, showroom-, link-.
4. Decide the tag before the show, not after orders arrive.

How do you tag and attribute wholesale orders to their source?

In Brandboom, you tag the presentation, and orders placed from it carry the tag.

1. Create a presentation for the source, such as a show booth or a campaign email.
2. Tag it before you share it. The brand sets tags, and a tag applies to orders placed after it's added, not retroactively.
3. Share that presentation wherever the source appears: at the booth, in follow-up emails and in the rep's outreach.
4. Tag orders that arrive another way. Tag handwritten or imported orders directly, one at a time or in bulk, so they still count. Tagging works in the Brandboom mobile app too. Tag a customer once, and their tags are added to an order automatically when that customer is added to it. If you write orders on the floor, see taking orders at a trade show.
5. Attribute orders to the rep or showroom that worked the account. A rep's own share link sets them as the order's Sales Agent automatically (you can reassign it), so rep commissions follow the order even when it closes after the show.
6. Pull the orders carrying each tag at every checkpoint to gather all orders from one show or campaign.

What is the trade show ROI formula for wholesale brands?

Trade show ROI = (wholesale revenue from show-sourced orders and reorders − all-in show cost) ÷ all-in show cost × 100

Show-sourced revenue is the orders written at the show plus post-show orders from show contacts at 90 and 180 days, including reorders. All-in cost covers booth, fixtures and samples, travel and lodging, staff time, shipping, and any rep commission on those orders.

Use wholesale revenue (what retailers pay you) the same way for every show and channel.

Hypothetical example (made-up round numbers to show the math, not a benchmark): a brand spends $20,000 all-in on a show and opens 16 new accounts within 180 days. The $20,000 breaks down as $8,000 booth, $3,000 fixtures and samples, $4,000 travel and lodging, $3,000 staff time, $1,000 shipping and $1,000 rep commission.

Cost per new account is $20,000 ÷ 16 = $1,250. On booth orders alone the show looks like a loss. At 180 days its revenue is more than double its cost.

Which trade show KPIs should you track?

These five come straight from your tagged order data.

How do you decide which trade shows to do next season?

Put every show and channel side by side on the same KPIs at the same checkpoints, then put your budget into the ones that bring in accounts that reorder. A show with modest booth orders but strong 180-day revenue earns a rebooking.

ExhibitionsVoice recommends scoring a show on weighted criteria before you book it, and your tagged orders give you real numbers for that score. Reorders depend on how first orders sold, so check the sell-through rate for show-sourced accounts. Then add the next show's presentation and tag to your trade show preparation checklist.

FAQ

What is a good ROI for a trade show?

There is no universal number. Compare each show with your other channels, such as email campaigns, reps and showrooms, and with your own cost per new account. A show that opens accounts more cheaply than your other channels, and whose accounts reorder, is earning its place. Judge it at 90 and 180 days, not on booth orders.

How long after a trade show should I measure results?

Check at 90 and 180 days. The 90-day mark picks up opening orders from buyers who ordered after the event. The 180-day mark adds reorders from those new accounts, which shows whether the show produced lasting customers or one-time orders. Record booth orders too, but treat them as the first checkpoint, not the result.

How do I credit a rep for an order that closes after the show?

You don't need a tag. Every order already has a Sales Agent. When a rep shares their own link, Brandboom makes them the Sales Agent automatically, so follow-up orders placed from it credit them. You can reassign the Sales Agent on any order, including orders a rep writes by hand. Agree in advance who gets the credit when a buyer met the rep at your booth.

Can I tag orders that were already placed?

Yes. Tag them directly, one at a time or in bulk, to catch any that were missed. A presentation tag only applies to orders placed after you add it, so it won't backfill earlier ones. Tagging also works in the Brandboom mobile app. To skip the cleanup next time, add the tag to the presentation before you share the link anywhere.