Trade Show ROI Calculator
Model the true all-in cost of any trade show against expected orders, new account acquisition and reorder pipeline. 18 global shows pre-loaded. Amortize reusables, model sample recovery, and compute the break-even order volume.
Reusables: cost per show
| Item | Per show |
|---|---|
| structure | $400 |
| shelving | $100 |
| signage | $133.33 |
| totes | $200 |
| tech | $100 |
| other | $0 |
How the show is costed
- Per show: booth and venue, marketing, consumed materials and post-show follow-up count in full.
- Amortized: booth structure, shelving, durable signage, totes and tech are divided by the number of shows you expect to use them.
- Samples: display samples can be partly recovered by selling them after the show or spread across shows you reuse them for. Samples given to buyers are always a full write-off.
- Travel: airfare, hotel, ground, incidentals and per diem for show plus travel days, times the number of staff.
- Show offers: these are not costs. The discount reduces revenue on orders written at the show; shipping you absorb on qualifying orders is added to the investment.
- Revenue: orders net of the show discount, plus reorders: new accounts x reorder rate x monthly reorder value x months in the window.
Opportunity cost is off by default. Switch it on to see the show as your team experiences it: days out of the office have a price even when nobody invoices it.
Keep going
Trade Show Calendar
Trade shows are one of the highest-ROI investments in wholesale - and one of the easiest ways to waste money. The difference is knowing which shows are right for your brand, your buyers, and where you are right now. 35+ shows across the US, UK, Europe, Scandinavia, Asia Pacific, ASEAN, and Australia. Gift, lifestyle, fashion with gift area, stationery, and travel retail. All costs in USD.
Trade shows and marketing · 23 min readBenchmarkTrade Show ROI: What Good Looks Like by Show Size
In 2026, trade shows are not lead generation events. They are sales acceleration events. The brands that perform best know their cost-per-lead, their conversion window, and their breakeven before they build the booth. This guide covers the benchmark numbers, the tier-by-tier performance standards, and the pre-show and post-show operating system that actually drives returns.
Trade shows and marketing · 12 min readGuideTrade Show Strategy
A comprehensive guide to trade show strategy for gift and lifestyle brands. Pre-show prep, booth design, buyer follow-up, and ROI measurement.
Inventory and operations · 26 min readCalculatorShowroom Cost Calculator
The complete annual cost of running your line through a wholesale showroom. Every layer: retainer, commission, catalog printing, sampling for the showroom, agents and retailers, trade show fees and travel, existing account territory transfer, Faire overlap, and agency own-buy discount.
Channels and marketplaces · InteractiveCalculatorTrade Catalogue ROI Calculator
Justify the investment in a seasonal trade catalogue or lookbook. Track production and distribution cost, response and conversion from catalogue recipients, average opening order, and the return on the full spend.
Trade shows and marketing · InteractiveThe tools are free. QVINTA does the work.
QVINTA finds the shops that fit your brand, picks the product each one is missing and drafts the pitch, every week. Soon open for beta testing.