Blog
Preparing business cards and leads for November–December fairs
November and December bring a busy run of B2B fairs in Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara and Dubai. This guide lists selected fairs with dates and gives a plan that starts 14 days out, a tagged QR code per fair and a follow-up routine.
Contents
Plans: event QR codes, the contact form, QR codes and NFC are in Starter and higher; the CRM connection is in Pro and higher.
November and December bring a busy run of B2B trade fairs in Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara and Dubai. To arrive ready on the business card and lead side, do three things early: update the cards two weeks before the fair, download a separate event QR code for each fair, and decide who follows up afterwards. This guide lists selected fairs with their dates and gives a day-by-day plan for before, during and after.
The general rules for sharing at the stand and following up are in digital business cards at trade fairs and events. Here the focus is timing against the calendar.
Why business cards still matter at a fair
A fair is where a company meets more new people in a few days than at any other time. A visitor stops at dozens of stands in a day and goes back to the hotel with a stack of similar cards; by the next morning, which card belonged to which conversation is often forgotten. The card is still the basic tool at a fair. The real question is how it stays with the visitor.
A digital card answers in two ways. It is saved to the visitor's contacts with the company name and title, so searching the company name weeks later finds you. And the contact form turns a conversation into a lead: a visitor who leaves a short note at the stand lands on your follow-up list automatically.
November and December 2026: selected B2B fairs
Dates below were read on the organisers' and fairs' own pages on 26 October 2026. Dates can change; confirm on the official page before you commit.
| Dates | Fair | City and venue | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10–12 Nov | Automechanika Dubai | Dubai, Dubai Exhibition Centre | Automotive aftermarket |
| 10–14 Nov | HOSTECH by TUSİD İstanbul | Istanbul, Tüyap | Hotel, restaurant and kitchen equipment |
| 18–21 Nov | İstanbul Hırdavat Fuarı | Istanbul, İFM | Hardware, tools, building materials |
| 19–21 Nov | TravelExpo Ankara | Ankara, ATO Congresium | Tourism and travel |
| 21–24 Nov | Avrasya Pencere, Avrasya Kapı and Avrasya Cam | Istanbul, Tüyap | Windows, doors, façades, glass |
| 23–26 Nov | Big 5 Global | Dubai, Dubai World Trade Centre | Construction |
| 25–28 Nov | Helal Expo | Istanbul, İFM | Halal food and products |
| 2–4 Dec | TTI İzmir | Izmir, Fuarİzmir | Tourism |
| 2–5 Dec | Plast Eurasia İstanbul | Istanbul, Tüyap | Plastics and machinery |
| 2–5 Dec | Horeca Fair | Izmir, Fuarİzmir | Hospitality equipment |
| 8–11 Dec | GITEX Global | Dubai, Dubai Exhibition Centre | Technology |
| 15–18 Dec | WorldFood İstanbul | Istanbul, İFM | Food and food technology |
Dates were read on the official pages linked from each fair name and on the İZFAŞ calendar and TOBB 2026 fair calendar. The list is a selection, not complete; check the TOBB calendar for your sector.
A day-by-day plan
- 14 days before: cards. Open and check the card of everyone working the stand: title, mobile, email, address. Sales cards should carry the current catalogue and price list; see how to add a catalogue or PDF. For fairs with international visitors, complete the English page step as well.
- 10 days before: the fair QR code. Download a fair-specific Event QR code for each card, tagged with the fair and year, e.g. "hostech-2026". Leads from that code are tagged with the fair. If you use the CRM connection, set it up now too: leads reach your CRM as they arrive, and there is no backfill.
- 7 days before: print. Place the tagged QR code on stand graphics, table cards and badges, and test it with several phones before printing. Stand codes should be large and at eye level.
- 3 days before: NFC and rehearsal. If the team uses NFC cards or a desk sticker, finish writing and testing; see how to make an NFC business card. Have everyone practise sharing their card once.
- Fair days: evening check. Each evening, set the Event filter on the Leads screen to the fair's tag and assign the day's leads.
- 72 hours after: follow up. Reply to everyone who left a request with a short message that recalls the conversation. Download the filtered list as a CSV file from the Leads screen (it opens in Excel); if the CRM connection is set up, the leads are already in your CRM.
Invite people before the fair
The most productive fair meetings are often set up in advance. A week before, message customers and the companies you want to meet: say which fair, hall and stand you will be at, and end with your card link. They save your card now and find you easily on the day. For the fair week, you can add one sentence to the card's About text, such as "This week at Plast Eurasia, hall and stand number", and delete it afterwards; the address and QR code stay the same.
Stand checklist
- Tagged QR codes on table cards and badges, downloaded with the fair's tag.
- Phones and a power bank for staff who show their card on screen.
- A tested NFC sticker on the desk.
- A few printed cards for visitors who prefer paper, with a QR code on the back.
- Connectivity: the card page opens on the visitor's own phone and data; the stand needs no Wi-Fi.
Roles at the stand
- Greeter: points visitors to the stand QR code.
- Presenter: explains the product, shares their own card at the end and asks the visitor to fill in the form.
- Follow-up owner: filters leads each evening and assigns them for the next morning.
Several fairs in one season
If you attend two or three fairs this season, tags let you compare them afterwards: how many leads each fair brought and which turned into quotes. Give tags a pattern, fair name and year ("plast-eurasia-2026"), plus the city if needed. Tags use lowercase letters, digits and hyphens. The same method separates listing signs for estate agencies, as described in digital business cards for real estate agents.
For the Dubai fairs
Most visitors at Dubai fairs will not read Turkish. Fill in the title, About text and English presentation in the English page step; visitors switch the card page to English and the contact they save follows. Write phone numbers with the country code so international visitors can reach you on WhatsApp.
A follow-up message that works
"Hello, we spoke yesterday at our stand at HOSTECH about kitchen equipment. The catalogue for the products we discussed is on my card, linked below. Could we have a short call on a day that suits you?"
Propose one next step. The catalogue and price list are on the card, so no attachment is needed. More on capturing and following up leads on the lead capture page; the plan for the first day after a lead arrives is in the first 24 hours after a meeting.
Common mistakes
- The same QR code at every fair: you cannot tell which fair brought a lead.
- Printing in the last week: an untested QR code cannot be fixed at the stand.
- No owner for the evening check: if leads wait until the fair ends, follow-up slips.
- Empty English fields: international visitors meet Turkish-only details.
Frequently asked questions
Should I create a separate card for the fair?
No. Cards belong to people; a tagged QR code on the same card separates the fair.
Does the tagged QR code keep working after the fair?
Yes. It still opens the same card, and later requests carry the same tag, so a visitor who goes home with a brochure and writes a week later is still counted for the fair.
Which plan do we need?
Event QR codes and the contact form are in Starter and higher; the CRM connection is in Pro and higher. See pricing.
