Key takeaways
- Decide what ships with the exhibit, what the team carries, and what can be bought or printed nearby.
- Pack a small survival kit for the fixes that always come up on day one.
- Bring backups for anything the booth can't run without: power, cables, files, and lead devices.
- Pack for the trip home before you leave: labels, paperwork, tape, and an inventory.
How to use this trade show packing list
A trade show packing list is less about remembering everything and more about knowing where everything is. What to bring to a trade show booth falls into three groups: what ships with the exhibit, what the team carries, and what can be bought or ordered on site. Assign one person to own the list, check items off as they're packed, and keep the same list for the trip home.
The lists below cover what most exhibitors need. Adjust them for your booth, your product, and the show's rules, which live in the exhibitor manual.
Ship it, hand-carry it, or buy it there
Anything heavy, bulky, or needed for the build should travel with the exhibit freight, labeled with the booth number. Small, valuable, or last-minute items, such as laptops, a demo unit, and the booth kit, are often easier to carry. Before you plan to carry anything, read the venue's hand-carry rules.
At the Las Vegas Convention Center, the LVCVA's July 2026 facility guide allows exhibitors to hand-carry their own materials only without material-handling equipment, carried by full-time company employees who can show proof of employment, and unloaded from a parking lot in a personally owned pickup or passenger van. Lightweight luggage carts and portable displays in rolling cases are allowed; hand trucks, dollies, and four-wheel carts are not, and anything one person can't carry goes through the show's contractor.
The trade show survival kit for booth fixes
Small problems on the floor are certain. A compact kit in one labeled case handles most of them without waiting on show services:
- Multi-bit screwdriver, hex keys sized to the exhibit hardware, utility knife, and scissors
- Tape: gaffer, double-sided, and clear packing, plus carpet tape if the show allows it
- Zip ties, hook-and-loop strips, binder clips, and S-hooks
- Touch-up paint, markers, or laminate repair matched to the booth finishes
- Microfiber cloths, glass and screen cleaner, a lint roller, and a stain remover
- Spare hardware for anything assembled on site
- A small flashlight, a tape measure, and a pen and notepad
- A basic first-aid kit with pain relievers and bandages
Power, tech, and demo backups
Anything that runs a demo needs a backup, and anything that plugs in needs to match the power you ordered. Check the exhibitor manual's rules on extension cords and power strips before you pack them.
- Power strips and extension cords that meet the show's rules
- Chargers and spare cables for every device, plus adapters for screens
- Backup copies of videos, presentations, and demo software on a drive and in the cloud
- A spare laptop or tablet for critical demos
- Lead retrieval devices, or phones with the app installed and tested
- A portable hotspot as a backup if the demo depends on internet
- Batteries for remotes, clickers, and wireless microphones
Booth supplies and housekeeping
Booth cleaning ordered through the show usually happens overnight, not between visitors. Pack what keeps the booth looking finished all day:
- Trash bags and a small wastebasket hidden behind the counter
- Bins or boxes for literature, giveaways, and personal items
- Literature and sign holders if the design calls for them
- A handheld vacuum or carpet sweeper, if the show allows it
- Hand sanitizer, tissues, and wipes
- Extra graphics hardware: magnets, clips, or spare fasteners
Marketing materials and sales tools
Bring what helps staff start and finish conversations, and leave the rest at the office:
- Business cards, and fewer brochures than you think; a QR code to a digital version saves weight
- Giveaways, counted by day, if they serve the goal
- Product samples, demo units, and spare parts for them
- Order forms, a pricing sheet, or a meeting booking link
- A one-page cheat sheet with talking points, qualifying questions, and lead grades
- The pre-booked meeting schedule with names, companies, and times
Paperwork and contacts to keep on hand
Keep these together in one folder, on paper and on at least two phones, so they're available even when the hall's signal isn't:
- The exhibitor manual and every service order confirmation
- Booth number, hall, floor plan, and move-in and move-out times
- Booth drawings and the graphics layout
- EAC registration confirmation and insurance certificates
- Badge pickup details and the staff schedule
- Freight paperwork: inbound tracking, outbound bills of lading, and labels
- Contacts for your exhibit builder, the show service desk, your freight carrier, and the hotel
What to pack for the booth team
Long days on concrete floors are hard on people. Comfortable, broken-in shoes matter more than anything else on this list, and a second pair to switch into mid-day helps. Pack layers, because convention halls can feel cold inside even when it's hot outside. Las Vegas air is dry, so water bottles, lip balm, lotion, and eye drops earn their space.
Add snacks for days when there's no time for lunch, mints, a phone charger, any personal medication, and a stain stick. A rested, comfortable team sells better on the last day than an exhausted one does on the first.
Packing for move-out and the trip home
Move-out is when things go missing. Before you leave the office, pack what you'll need to send everything home: outbound shipping labels, the carrier's contact, the show's outbound forms, packing tape, markers, and bubble wrap for anything fragile. Photograph how each crate was packed on the way in, so it can be repacked the same way.
Count leftover literature and giveaways before they're boxed, note anything damaged, and keep an inventory of what went into each crate. That record makes the next show's packing faster and tells your builder exactly what needs repair.
Turn the list into a reusable booth kit
After the show, restock the survival kit and the tech backups right away, while you still remember what ran out. Keep the kit with the exhibit or with the person who owns the list, so the next show starts with a full case instead of a shopping trip. Treat the packing list as a living document, and add the one thing that was missing every time.
Frequently asked questions
What should go in a trade show survival kit?
Basic tools, several kinds of tape, zip ties, touch-up supplies matched to the booth finishes, cleaning cloths, spare hardware, a flashlight, and a first-aid kit. Keep everything in one labeled case that stays in the booth for the whole show.
What should we hand-carry instead of shipping with the exhibit?
Laptops, demo units, the booth kit, backup files, and anything the booth can't open without. Check the venue's hand-carry rules first: some, like the Las Vegas Convention Center, limit carts, vehicles, and who can carry, and route anything larger through the show's contractor.
Can we print or ship last-minute items at the Las Vegas Convention Center?
The LVCVA's July 2026 facility guide lists FedEx Office business centers inside the LVCC offering printing, business cards, packing and shipping, and office supplies, and says printing can be arranged before you arrive. Hours can change with the event, so confirm them for your show.
What do exhibitors most often forget to pack?
Chargers and adapters, outbound shipping labels, touch-up supplies, the contact list for show services, and comfortable shoes are common misses. Many teams also forget a tested backup for lead capture, which is the one gap that directly costs leads.
How do we keep track of what we packed for the return trip?
Photograph each crate as it's packed, tape a contents list inside the lid and outside, and keep a master inventory with one person. At move-out, check items against that list before crates close, and note anything damaged or used up.