Cheat sheet · updated 2026-09-01

Trade Show Glossary

The exhibitor kit assumes you already speak the language. These are the 43 terms that actually show up on invoices, order forms and show-floor rules — grouped by where you'll meet them, in plain words. Link to any term with its # anchor.

Freight & material handling

Drayage #: The handling of your freight between the loading dock and your booth — unloading, delivery to the space, storage of empties, and the reverse at move-out. Billed by weight (per CWT), and usually the most misunderstood line on an exhibitor invoice. Often called "material handling" on newer kits.
Material handling #: The current, plainer name for drayage. It never includes the shipping to the city itself — that's your carrier's freight bill; this is what happens inside the building.
CWT #: Hundredweight — 100 lbs. The unit material handling is priced in, typically with a minimum per shipment.
Advance warehouse #: The general contractor's warehouse that accepts your freight in a window before the show (often up to ~30 days) and delivers it to your booth for move-in. Costs more per CWT than direct-to-show but removes the risk of a missed delivery window.
Direct-to-show / show site shipment #: Freight sent straight to the venue during the targeted move-in window. Cheaper handling rate, riskier timing — miss the window and you wait or pay.
Targeted move-in #: A schedule that assigns each booth zone a specific day/time for freight delivery. Arriving off-target usually incurs a surcharge.
Marshalling yard #: The holding lot where trucks check in and wait to be called to a dock. Drivers who skip it don't get unloaded.
Bill of lading (BOL) #: The contract and receipt for a freight shipment. At move-out you file one with the service desk; without it your freight goes to the "forced" carrier at their rates.
Forced freight #: What happens when carriers miss the pickup deadline or no BOL is filed: the general contractor re-routes your freight with its house carrier, at your cost.
Empties / empty stickers #: Labelled empty crates and cases stored by the contractor during the show and returned at move-out. Stickers come from the service desk; unlabelled cases left in the booth can be thrown away.
POV #: Privately owned vehicle. Many halls have a POV line where you can self-unload small quantities by hand — rules and limits are in the kit.

Booth & build

I&D #: Install and dismantle — the labour that erects and tears down your booth. Can be the contractor's labour, an EAC, or (within the venue's union rules) your own staff.
EAC #: Exhibitor-appointed contractor: an outside firm you hire for I&D or other services instead of the official contractor. Must usually be declared to the organizer in advance with insurance on file.
General (service) contractor / GC #: The official show contractor (the firm behind the exhibitor kit and service desk) handling freight, rigging, furniture, cleaning and labour for the whole show.
Exhibitor kit / service manual #: The organizer's package of order forms, deadlines, rules and rates for your specific show. The early-rate deadlines in it are the cheapest money you will ever save — read it the week you book.
Inline / linear booth #: A booth in a row, open on one aisle side, typically 10×10 or 10×20. Back wall usually 8ft, with height limits on side wings.
Corner booth #: An inline booth at the end of a row, open on two sides. Usually a premium over inline.
Peninsula / end-cap #: A booth open on three aisles, backing onto inline booths or another peninsula.
Island booth #: A booth open on all four sides (20×20 up), with the most freedom on height and hanging signs — and the most rules to read.
Rigging / hanging sign #: Anything suspended from the ceiling — signs, lighting, truss. Almost always exclusive to the venue or GC's riggers, ordered via the kit.
Line of sight rules #: Height and placement restrictions (especially in inline booths) so no booth blocks the view of its neighbours.
Booth carpet / floor covering mandate #: Many shows require the booth floor to be covered; if you don't bring or order covering, some kits auto-order it at your cost.
Pipe and drape #: The aluminium poles and fabric panels that form the default back and side walls of an unbuilt inline booth.
Turnkey / package booth #: A pre-built booth package (walls, furniture, lighting, sometimes graphics) rented through the organizer or GC — the shortcut for first-timers and international exhibitors.

People & passes

Exhibitor badge allotment #: The number of staff badges included with your booth (commonly scaled by booth size); extra badges cost more or require conference passes.
Booth staff rotation #: The shift schedule that keeps the booth covered without burning anyone out — the reason "days each" matters in your staffing budget.
Housing block / room block #: Hotel rooms reserved by the organizer at negotiated rates, released to attendees until a cut-off date. Blocks for big shows sell out months ahead; book when registration opens.
Housing pirates / poachers #: Firms that cold-call exhibitors claiming to sell rooms "in the official block". Book only through the organizer's housing link; the kit usually names the one legitimate housing partner.
Suitcasing / outboarding #: Working a show you didn't pay to exhibit at — pitching in the aisles (suitcasing) or hosting an off-floor event to siphon attendees (outboarding). Most organizers ban both and will eject offenders.
Trade-only #: Admission restricted to industry professionals with credentials — no general public. (Wholesale markets like apparel shows are almost always trade-only.)

Leads & marketing

Lead retrieval #: The organizer's badge-scanning device or app that captures attendee contact data. Licensed per show through the kit or registration portal — and only as good as the notes your staff attach.
Qualified lead #: A lead that passed your own screening questions (authority, need, timeline) — the number that belongs in an ROI model, as opposed to raw badge scans.
Cost per lead (CPL) #: Total show cost divided by leads captured. Compute it per show and compare — our ROI calculator does the arithmetic.
Show directory / exhibitor listing #: Your entry in the show's official catalog and app. Usually free with the booth and chronically left half-empty — complete it; buyers plan from it.
Priority points #: Loyalty points many organizers award for years exhibited, booth size and sponsorships, which set your place in line for next year's space selection.
Space selection #: The scheduled process (often at or before the current show) where exhibitors pick next year's booth location in priority order.

Show formats & events

Trade show vs consumer show #: A trade show sells B2B to credentialed buyers; a consumer (or "gate") show sells tickets to the public. Some shows run trade days then public days.
Market / market week #: A recurring wholesale buying event (apparel, gift, home) at a permanent mart, running several times a year — buyers order inventory rather than browse innovations.
Co-located shows #: Separate shows sharing a venue and dates, often with one badge granting access to all (e.g. fashion trade events running side by side).
Hosted buyer program #: Organizer-funded travel for pre-qualified buyers who commit to scheduled meetings with exhibitors.
Matchmaking #: The organizer's system for booking exhibitor–attendee meetings before the show.
Show hours vs move-in / move-out #: The published show days are the open-to-attendee hours; your calendar also needs the move-in days before and move-out after — badge and labour rules differ in each.
Book / show book #: Slang for the exhibitor kit or the show directory, depending on who's talking. Ask which.

Put it to work

Budgeting a booth? The ROI calculator's cost lines map to these terms (drayage and material handling live under "Shipping"). Sequencing the deadlines — advance warehouse windows, early-rate service orders, housing blocks — is what the Show Countdown Planner does. And the packing list covers what actually goes in the crate, empties stickers and all.