Budget and Resource Allocation

Ensure that each trade show receives the appropriate budget, people, tools, and time to deliver against the agreed KPIs—while maintaining efficient spend and maximizing ROI.

Why it's Important

Prevents resource waste or overspending
Ensures key roles are staffed for maximum impact
Balances spend across your annual calendar
Clarifies what trade-offs need to be made
Enables strategic sponsorship decisions

How to Implement

Define total trade show budget annually
Break down into categories: booth cost, staffing, creative, tech, promotions, logistics
Allocate budget based on expected ROI or tiering (A/B/C events)
Identify internal and external support needs
Align resourcing across design, digital, sales, and ops
Track budget-to-actuals and adjust monthly
Plan staffing schedules (travel, coverage, follow-up)
Create contingency plans for overages or savings

Available Workshops

Trade Show Budget Planning Sprint
ROI by Tier Workshop (Gold/Silver/Bronze events)
Resource Gap Analysis
Cross-Team Role Mapping
Budget Efficiency Retro
Contingency Planning Exercise

Deliverables

Annual trade show budget
Event-specific budget breakdowns
Staffing plans by role
Resourcing calendar
ROI projection and cost per lead matrix

How to Measure

Budget vs. actual spend
Cost per qualified lead
Staff-to-lead ratio
Hours per lead or per opportunity
Return on spend by event tier
Lead capture to conversion cost
Efficiency compared to non-event channels

Real-World Examples

Intercom

Uses tiered event budgeting and evaluates ROI before deciding on high-cost international shows.

Slack

Prioritizes internal resourcing for developer-heavy shows while outsourcing brand activations.

Twilio

Balances flashy booth spend with lean staffing to maintain high ROI across DevRel events.

Get It Right

Align spend to expected business outcomes
Tier your events based on potential impact
Document every resourcing assumption up front
Involve finance early in the process
Continuously refine budget models using actual performance

Don't Make These Mistakes

Underestimating hidden costs (shipping, travel, WiFi, setup)
Overstaffing low-traffic booths
Budgeting the same amount for every show
Failing to track ROI per line item
Skipping post-event budget analysis

Provided courtesy of Dawn Mallyon, Exhibitor Growth Strategies