How to calculate exhibition ROI
To know if a show was worth it, you need two numbers: what it cost in total, and what it brought back. Most teams know the stand price but not the rest.
Step 1: add up the full cost
- Stand space
- Stand design and build
- Travel, hotels and meals
- Staff time at the show
- Samples, print, giveaways and shipping
- Ads and promotion for the show
Step 2: count what came back
Count total leads, qualified leads (your A and B leads), meetings booked, and deals won. Add up the gross profit from those deals. Use gross profit, not revenue, if you know it.
Step 3: do the sums
- Cost per lead = total cost divided by total leads
- Cost per qualified lead = total cost divided by qualified leads
- ROI = (profit from show deals minus total cost) divided by total cost, times 100
A worked example
These numbers are made up to show the maths.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total cost | $40,000 |
| Leads | 400 |
| Qualified leads | 80 |
| Deals won by day 90 | 5 |
| Gross profit from those deals | $60,000 |
Cost per lead is $100. Cost per qualified lead is $500. ROI is ($60,000 minus $40,000) divided by $40,000, which is 50%.
Check it again at day 90
Deals from a show often close months later. Work out ROI at day 30, then again at day 90 and day 180. If you skip this, a good show can look like a loss.
You can try your own numbers in the free ROI calculator.
More guides
- How to clean a trade show lead export
- A trade show follow-up timeline
- How to calculate exhibition ROI
- Free show ROI calculator
PostShow Kit is a Google Sheets and Excel kit that does these steps for you. Paste your export, grade leads and plan day 1, 7 and 30 follow-up. $79, or $59 for people on the waitlist. Target launch is 20 November 2026.