Trade Shows: A Complete Guide for Sales Reps

A step-by-step guide for sales reps to prepare, operate, and wrap up at a trade show. Covers everything you need to do before, during, and after the show, from syncing your device and taking orders offline to capturing leads and wrapping up once the show is over.

»» Are you an Admin? Read the Admin Trade Show Guide instead.

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Table of Contents 

 

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Before You Begin

• Ensure the WizOrder app is installed and up to date on your device.
• Confirm with your admin that your role and pricelist access are configured.
• Complete a full data sync on a stable Wi-Fi connection before leaving for the show.
• If your show uses badge scanning, confirm with your admin that it has been tested and is ready to use.

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A. Before the Show - Device and App Setup

The setup steps below take about 20–30 minutes and should be done the day before the show, while you still have stable Wi-Fi. Getting this right means you can walk into the venue confident that your device, catalog, and customers are ready — even if internet at the booth is poor or nonexistent.

1. Charge everything and pack chargers

• Charge your iPad and phone to 100%.
• Pack your charger cables and a power bank for the booth. Trade show booths frequently have limited access to power outlets.
• If you are using a Bluetooth scanner, charge that too.

2. Update the WizOrder app

Before syncing any data, make sure you are on the latest version of WizOrder.

1. Open the App Store on your iPad.
2. Search for WizOrder and tap Update if one is available.
3. Do this on every device that will be used at the show.

3. Sync your product and customer data

This is the most important pre-show step. Syncing downloads your complete product catalog, customer list, customer-specific pricing, and current inventory status directly to your device so everything is available offline.

1. Open WizOrder while connected to Wi-Fi.
2. Go to More → Settings → Sync Data.
3. Tap Sync Now and wait for the sync to complete. The first full sync may take 10–15 minutes.
4. Enable Incremental Sync on the same screen. This keeps your device automatically updated each time you open the app while connected, so you always have the latest data before heading into a low-signal area.

4. Enable and test Offline Mode

Once the sync is complete, enable Offline Mode and confirm it actually works, not just that it's toggled on.

1. On the Sync Data screen, turn on Offline Mode.
2. Put your device into airplane mode.
3. Create a test order: browse products, add items to the cart, and check out a test customer.
4. Confirm the order saves without an internet connection.
5. Turn airplane mode off when done.

5. Note your key SKUs and customer pricelists

When working offline, image search and live attribute filters are not available. You can still search by product name or SKU ID, and you can browse by category or collection. To stay fast at the booth:

• Note down or bookmark your most-ordered SKUs in advance.
• Confirm with your admin which pricelists are assigned to you. Customer-specific pricing comes from the pricelists cached on your device. Make sure the right ones are in place before you sync.

6. Test badge scanning (if your show uses it)

If your show supports badge scanning for capturing visitor contact details, do a quick test before you leave for the venue.

1. Scan the sample QR code provided by the trade show organiser.
2. Confirm the scan registers correctly and that you receive the lead notification.
3. If anything is off, contact your admin or Customer Success Manager — not something you want to debug at the booth.

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B. At the Show - Taking Orders and Capturing Leads

Taking orders in Offline Mode

When you arrive at the venue, assess the internet connection. If it's unreliable, switch to Offline Mode before starting so every interaction is smooth.

1. Go to More → Settings → Sync Data and enable Offline Mode.
2. Take orders normally: browse products by category or collection, search by product name or SKU, add items to the cart, and check out.
3. New customers can be created offline. Fill in their details and the record will sync to the database when you reconnect.

What Works Offline:

• Full product catalog: Images, descriptions, and SKUs
• Customer-specific pricing, pre-cached from assigned price lists
• Customer information: Name, contact details, and order history
• Inventory status as of the last sync
• Product attributes and specifications
• Categories, collections, and barcode scanning

What is Not Available Offline:

• Browse products by category, collection, or search
• View full product detail pages with attributes, images, and pricing
• Add products to cart
• Apply line-item and cart-level discounts
• Create, manage, and switch between multiple carts (note: only the first cart is retained in offline cache, see note )
• Create new customers using the streamlined form
• Submit orders and quotes, queued for sync on reconnection
• MOQ and IOQ enforcement
• Barcode scanning for rapid product lookup

Scanning products to add to cart

If your booth uses product labels with barcodes or UPC codes, you can scan them directly rather than searching manually.

1. Open WizOrder with a customer and cart active.
2. Use your paired Bluetooth scanner or camera to scan the label on a product.
3. The item is added to the cart instantly.
4. Continue scanning additional items, adjust quantities as needed, and proceed to checkout.

Taking orders on behalf of another rep

If a colleague is busy with another customer or unavailable, you can place orders on their behalf as long as your admin has enabled access to all customers and orders on your role.

1. Open WizOrder and select a customer.
2. You will see all customers in the system, not just your own.
3. Take the order as normal. It will be tagged to the customer's assigned rep for confirmation emails and reporting.

Capturing leads with badge scanning

When a visitor stops at your booth, scan their badge to capture their contact details automatically.

1. Open the Badge Scanning feature. Go to More → Trade Show Visitors → Scan Badge.
2. Scan the visitor's event badge or QR code.
3. Their details (name, company, email, phone, location) are captured and saved to More → Trade Fair Visitors.
4. The system automatically notifies the rep assigned to that visitor's territory. If the notification doesn't route correctly, an admin can send it manually.

Collecting payments at the booth

If your admin has enabled payment collection for your role, you can take payment at the point of order.

• Card: Charge a card pre-saved on the platform or enter card details directly.
• POS Terminal: Use the physical card reader if your booth has one.
• Payment Link: Send the buyer an email or SMS link to pay securely online.
• Offline Payment: Record a cash or cheque payment for reconciliation later.
• ACH: Process a direct bank-to-bank transfer for account payments.

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 C. End of Each Day - Nightly Sync and Review

Before you leave the booth each evening, run through this short list. A few minutes now prevents problems the next morning.

1. Reconnect to Wi-Fi or strong cellular signal. WizOrder syncs automatically as soon as you reconnect (assuming Incremental Sync is on). Orders push to your ERP, new customers push to the database, confirmation emails go out, and updated inventory and pricing come back to the app.
2. Confirm orders are syncing. Open the Orders tab and check that the day's orders show a Confirmed status. If anything is still showing as pending, keep the app open on a stable connection until everything flips to Confirmed.
3. Spot-check the day's orders. Quickly scan quantities, line-item discounts, and customer assignments. A typo caught today is much easier to fix than one traced back next week.
4. Review scanned leads. Open More → Trade Fair Visitors and confirm that all badge scans from the day are appearing. If a lead hasn't been routed to the right rep, your admin can notify them manually.
5. Charge all devices overnight. iPad, phone, power bank, and Bluetooth scanner.
6. Leave the app open if orders are still syncing. Queued orders are saved on the device and won't be lost if you close the app — but the easiest way to be sure everything has pushed is to watch them flip to Confirmed before you leave.

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D. After the Show - Wrapping Up

Once the show is over, take care of the following in the first 24–48 hours. This is when any remaining sync issues, missing leads, and follow-up opportunities are easiest to catch.

1. Confirm every order is synced. Open the Orders tab and verify all orders from the show show a Confirmed status. If anything is still pending, reconnect to a stable network and leave the app open until it completes. Your offline orders are not lost, they stay queued on the device until they push.
2. Review your leads. Open More → Trade Fair Visitors to see every badge you scanned during the show. You can review each contact's details or use Export Sheet to download the full list as an Excel file for outreach.
3. Follow up with leads who didn't place an order. Use the exported sheet to reach out to booth visitors who were interested but didn't buy. The sooner you follow up, the better.
4. Collect any outstanding payments. Orders that synced to the ERP may still have unpaid balances if payment couldn't be taken at the booth. Use WizPay (if applicable) to collect what remains.
5. Do not uninstall the WizOrder app yet. Once all your orders show as Confirmed and your offline queue is empty, you are safe. Uninstalling before the sync completes can lose queued data.

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FAQs

1. What happens if I lose internet mid-show and I am not in Offline Mode?

A. Don't worry, simply tap the Offline Mode at the top right corner of the app to switch instantly. New orders from that point will be stored locally on your device and synced automatically once you are back online.

2. Can I search for products offline?

A. Yes, but only by product name or SKU ID. Image search and live attribute filters require an internet connection. Browsing by category or collection works fully offline, so knowing your key categories and SKUs in advance helps you stay fast at the booth.

3. My order shows "Pending" in the Orders tab. What should I do?

A. This means the order hasn't synced to the ERP yet. Connect to Wi-Fi or a strong cellular signal and keep WizOrder open. The order will push automatically once the connection stabilises. Do not delete the app or clear data before it shows as Confirmed.

4. Can I take a payment offline?

A. No. Card payments and payment links require an active internet connection to process. You can still take the order offline. Record it as an offline payment (cash/cheque) if needed, or collect the payment once you are back online.

5. I scanned a badge but the visitor's details didn't appear. What should I do?

A. Check your internet connection. Badge scans need a connection to retrieve contact details from the trade show organiser's database. If you have a connection and the scan still fails, try the sample QR code to verify the scanner is working. Contact your admin or Customer Success Manager if the issue persists.

6. Can I place an order for one of my colleague's customers?

A. Yes, if your admin has granted your role access to all customers and orders. When this permission is active, you will see all customers in WizOrder, not just your own, and can take orders on behalf of any rep. The order will be tagged to the customer's assigned rep for confirmation emails and reporting.

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