Booth Sales Launch Checklist
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A pre-launch checklist that walks an organizer from the approved floor plan to the moment the first booth goes on sale, so nothing is sold on a stale map or a vague promise.

[ ] Confirm the venue's net usable exhibit floor area in writing, not the gross building square footage quoted in the brochure.
[ ] Mark every fixed obstacle on the plan: columns, fire lanes, exits, loading doors, utility drops and low ceiling areas.
[ ] Block out non-booth space first (registration, stage, food service, lounges, storage, demo areas) before drawing a single booth.
[ ] Number booths in a scheme that follows the aisles so an exhibitor can find booth 412 on the floor without asking anyone.
[ ] Verify every booth dimension on the plan matches what the space agreement promises and what the decorator will actually build.
[ ] Run the draft plan past the venue and the fire marshal before it is published anywhere, including a teaser to sponsors.
[ ] Split the floor into named zones (entrance, main aisle corners, inline, back wall, islands) and assign one price per zone.
[ ] Write a one sentence reason for each zone price that you can repeat calmly to an exhibitor who asks why theirs costs more.
[ ] List every sponsor hold with the booth number, who owns the hold, and the date it expires and returns to open inventory.
[ ] Compare your break-even booth count with the number of booths genuinely open for sale, so you know the sell-through you actually need.
[ ] Define what secures a booth in one sentence (for example, signed space agreement plus deposit received) and put it on the booking page.
[ ] Set the deposit amount, balance due date, and refund and cancellation terms, and repeat them in the agreement and the confirmation email.
[ ] Decide how long an unpaid selection is held before it releases back to the floor, and make that timer visible to exhibitors.
[ ] Test the booking flow yourself on a phone: pick a booth, pay, receive the confirmation, then check that the booth now shows as taken.
[ ] List every field you need from each exhibitor (legal name, billing and onsite contacts, category, logo, insurance certificate, electrical) and collect the must-haves at booking.
[ ] Make sure each exhibitor record is tied to a booth number, not only a company name, so directory, badge and invoice exports stay accurate.
[ ] Agree who on the team is allowed to move, hold, release or discount a booth, and log every change with a name and a date.
[ ] Draft the launch announcement, the sponsor early access email, and the waitlist reply before the first booth goes on sale.
[ ] Publish the live floor plan, the pricing table and the space agreement on the same page so nobody books from a PDF that has gone stale.
[ ] Schedule a weekly inventory review: booths sold, holds expiring, balances overdue, and zones that are not moving.
[ ] Save the approved floor plan and pricing sheet with the show year in the file name so next year starts from this version, not a rebuild.