How to Prep for an Event as an Exhibitor (Without the Last-Minute Chaos)

Exhibiting at major events seems straightforward — until you've actually done it. 

The first time, you assume things will just work out. But there are hidden pitfalls everywhere. Therefore, most exhibitors waste 80% of their time at events. How to be in the winning 20%? 

Read on to learn from our experience preparing for Mobile World Congress 2025.

Heading to MWC 2026? 

Drop by Hall 7, Booth #7F4 to explore XME.digital’s enterprise integration middleware platform and Stella #5, our self-service builder designed for connectivity providers. Meet our team, see it in action, and let’s discuss how we can help you streamline operations.

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The Exhibitor's Checklist: What to Do Before You Go

1. Define the Game Plan (Before You Even Register)

Before committing, align internally on why you're exhibiting. Are you there for brand awareness? Lead generation? Partnerships? Fundraising? These answers dictate everything from your messaging to your choice of booth size.

Once the decision is made, lock in the booth size and location, which essentially define your floor presence. Next comes the team roster, or the specific experts joining the delegation, followed by the showcase scope, which covers the exact solutions you will present. Finally, finalize the budget breakdown, often called a financial roadmap, to account for the inevitable hidden costs that always arise.

Establishing clear goals and budgets early on is how we remove friction for the team. Instead of getting bogged down in the typical layers of over-complication that stall large-scale preparations, we prioritize providing our experts with the autonomy they need to drive sales and deliver results. With the parameters set, we move full speed ahead.

2. Map Out the Communication & Content Strategy

If no one knows you're coming, you've already lost.

You're competing for attention with hundreds, if not thousands, of other companies. Put the event's hashtag into LinkedIn's search bar and see for yourself. So, if no one knows you're there, you'll waste the opportunity.

Success at MWC requires a communication strategy that begins months before the floor opens. It starts with establishing visibility through synchronized social media updates and blog content, followed by direct outreach to ensure key stakeholders are aware of the presence. On-site, the focus shifts to the technical evidence: live demos and case studies that validate the product's value. These are supported by the sales enablement tools and digital assets necessary to transition a brief booth interaction into a qualified business lead.

For MWC 2025, we decided to make our content accessible for XME.digital delegates and booth visitors. So, each person interested can scan a QR code and instantly access key information. It allows our team members to have everything needed for meaningful conversations at their fingertips and our visitors to get all the information about our products and activities.  

3. Build the Right Team of Delegates & Give Them a Real Role

Selecting a booth team requires a balance of expertise. The group must include professionals who can drive sales and navigate high-level industry discussions, ensuring that interactions go beyond surface-level product explanations. Success also depends on individual motivation, as a lack of genuine interest in the event is immediately apparent to prospective clients and partners.

We always create a team of delegates following these principles. Once it is set, our task is to get them involved in the prep process as much as possible. They contribute to the messaging and materials because they'll actually use them. If you ignore it, your colleagues will nod along during training and forget everything when the event starts.

4. Nail Down Lead Generation (Before You Step On-Site)

Generating leads weeks before the event is what separates successful exhibitors from those simply waiting for foot traffic. A proper campaign starts with personalized outreach to secure interest from key prospects long before the doors open. On-site, the focus is on converting that engagement through live demos and scheduled meetings. The process only actually finishes with a rigorous follow-up sequence that replaces generic acknowledgments with a strategic cycle designed to maintain momentum and close the loop.

And one more thing — networking. Each of our delegates has a strong network in the telecom industry, built over decades of experience. We make the most of this by encouraging them to connect with their contacts, letting them know we'll be at the event, and suggesting a quick coffee chat. More often than not, this leads to new opportunities — even when we least expect it.

5. Logistics: The Silent Killer of Event Prep

Operational failures like last-minute hotel cancellations or booth materials held in customs are often preventable through early planning. Booking tickets well in advance avoids the unnecessary costs associated with late purchases, while double-confirming reservations can mitigate the risk of unexpected cancellations. It is also critical to verify team registrations multiple times to ensure everyone has badge access and is ready to represent the company without the delay of resolving administrative issues on-site.

5 Essentials We've Learned the Hard Way

1. A Decision-Maker and a Project Owner Are Not the Same Person (And That's Okay)

We used to think one person could handle it all. Wrong. There are two types of stakeholders involved: Decision-Makers and Project Owners. These roles don't always overlap, and if you don't define them early, you end up with last-minute confusion, missed deadlines, and a lot of finger-pointing. Once we separated duties, everything started running smoother.

2. Engage the Delegates in the Prep Process

If your team isn't actively involved in the prep, they won't take ownership of their role at the event. We used to prepare all the materials ourselves — slides, talking points, networking lists — and hand them over. Sometimes, however, they struggled to align with the delegates' vision. Scrolling through materials mid-flight or in a taxi often meant last-minute changes and unnecessary stress for both the delegates and the marketing team.

To prevent this, we work closely with delegates throughout the preparation process. Each delegate has a clear role — whether it's preparing a presentation, engaging their network, or mastering key talking points. When they're part of the process, they take it seriously, feel more invested, and handle materials and lead-generating activities with confidence.

3. Google Won't Tell You Everything

No matter how much research you do, some things only come from experience — or from people who've done it before. Earlier, we relied purely on our own assumptions. Then, we started talking to experienced exhibitors, and they pointed out things we would've never known.

For example, we thought modifying our booth (like adding extra posters or QR codes) was restricted. It turns out it's not — as long as you return it to its original state. The key is to preserve the stand's structure (double-sided tape will do the trick).

This is just one of many hacks that expand our capabilities and refine our approach, thanks to our experienced partners and colleagues. Without asking around, we wouldn't have even considered it.

4. Build a Relationship with Organizers (They Can Save You When Things Go Wrong)

At some point, something will go wrong. That's a guarantee. Maybe it's a deadline you didn't realize was critical. Maybe it's a last-minute change you have to make. If you only reach out to the organizers when there's a crisis, you're already at a disadvantage.

We learned this when we needed to brand an extra wall. It had a different deadline we hadn't factored in. By the time we figured it out, we were dangerously close to missing the window. The only reason we managed to get an extension is that one of our team members had built a relationship with the event organizers early on. Because of that connection, they gave us an extra week. Without it, we would've been out of luck.

5. 'Cheat' Your Team When It Comes to Deadlines

"Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion."

Parkinson's law

When a task has a long deadline, people unconsciously stretch the time needed to complete it, often postponing real effort until urgency kicks in. This happens because:

• Humans are poor at estimating how long tasks actually take (a cognitive bias called the planning fallacy).

• Without immediate pressure, tasks are perceived as less urgent, making them easier to delay.

How do you handle this when preparing to exhibit at events like MWC?

Whatever the official deadline is, set your internal deadline one week earlier.

We cut things too close at one event, thinking we had just enough time. Then, of course, things didn't go as planned. Last-minute approvals, unexpected delays, and slow responses from vendors piled up.

Now, we establish an in-house deadline a week ahead of the official one. That way, when things go sideways (because they always do), we still have breathing room to fix them. 

Final Thought: Make Every Move Count

Exhibiting at a major event is about showing up prepared. We've learned that small details can make or break the experience. A missed deadline, an unprepared delegate, or assuming things will "work themselves out" can turn months of planning into chaos. So, make decisions early, involve the right people, and build relationships before you need them. No matter how much effort you put in, make sure you put it in the right places; only in this case, you complete the project successfully.