How to prepare for your participation at the SIRHA trade show: the complete guide for exhibitors

Exhibitors preparing for SIRHA aren't looking for inspiration. They are looking to mitigate risk: the risk of spending a significant budget for a disappointing return. Preparing for SIRHA requires a methodical approach, not intuition. SIRHA Lyon 2027 will take place from January 21 to 25, 2027 at Eurexpo Lyon. Here is how to structure your preparation, month by month, with the figures and technical details that truly make a difference.

Why proper preparation changes everything at SIRHA

What happens before the doors even open

The outcome of a trade show is rarely determined during the days of the event itself. It is decided in the months leading up to it. In practical terms: an exhibitor who books their space six months in advance has access to 100% of the available areas. An exhibitor who books two months out is left with residual spots, often on the periphery of main aisles, far from visitor traffic. The difference in foot traffic between a central booth and one on the periphery can result in 30% to 40% fewer visitors, despite having the same surface area and budget.

The real cost of poor preparation

Three specific mistakes turn a trade show investment into a wasted expense. A booth without signage readable from 5 meters away loses a visitor's attention in under 3 seconds—the average time it takes to decide whether to stop or keep walking. A team not briefed on the day's objectives will improvise their pitch, causing the lead qualification rate to drop below 20%, compared to 50% to 60% for a trained team. Lacking a lead capture system turns a useful conversation into lost information by the next day: without a scanned badge or a completed form, you simply cannot follow up with that contact.

The ideal timeline for exhibiting at SIRHA

12 to 9 months before: defining the project

Everything starts with a simple question: why are you participating in SIRHA? Whether it's generating qualified leads, meeting distributors, launching a product, building brand awareness, or recruiting partners, each objective changes your requirements. A lead generation goal points toward a booth with dedicated capture zones and a high-traffic location. A product launch goal points toward a central demonstration area and spotlighting for the new product. Mixing both objectives without prioritizing them dilutes both your budget and your message.

It is also time to book your space. For a trade show on the scale of SIRHA, which brings together several thematic halls (bakery-pastry, equip'hotel, sandwich & snack show, depending on the edition), the choice of hall and your position within it is just as important as the floor space itself. A position at the end of an aisle captures a different flow of traffic than one at the center of a busy intersection.

6 to 4 months before: design and production

A beautiful booth is not enough. The design brief must answer specific questions: what is the visitor journey from the moment they enter the booth, what sign height is needed to be visible above the aisles (show regulations often impose a height ceiling between 4 and 6 meters depending on the hall), and what tasting or demonstration stations are required, and for how many simultaneous visitors?

At a food industry trade show like SIRHA, technical constraints are specific: high-power electrical connections for cooking or refrigeration equipment, water drainage for tasting stations, and hygiene standards for handling fresh products on the booth (cold chain, compliant preparation surfaces). These elements must be anticipated in the brief, not discovered during production. This is also the time to decide between custom-built booths and modular booths, depending on how often you attend this type of trade show.

2 months before: communicate and train the team

Visibility does not start when the doors open. Eight to twelve weeks before, announce your participation on LinkedIn and via email to existing clients, including your booth number and hall as soon as they are available: a visitor who knows where to find you before arriving represents a pre-booked appointment, not an improvised contact on-site. Four to six weeks before, showcase the new products that will be exhibited and open up a meeting calendar, for example via a Calendly link shared in your email signature. One to two weeks before, send final reminders and teasers, with a focus on demonstration slots if you are organizing any.

In parallel, team training must cover three specific points: a 30-second pitch identical for all staff members (no individual improvisation), a simple qualification grid with a maximum of 3 questions (sector, current or future project, approximate budget), and clear instructions on appointment scheduling: who validates qualified meetings, during which time slots, and with which sales representative for follow-up.

During the trade show: execute without improvising

The big day is not the time to figure out your role. Rotating the team every 3 to 4 hours prevents the drop in service quality caused by fatigue, a factor often underestimated at a multi-day trade show. Each staff member must know how to greet in under 10 seconds, qualify in under 2 minutes, present the offer in a targeted way based on the identified profile, and systematically conclude with a concrete action: booking an appointment, sending documentation, or at the very least, scanning a badge.

SIRHA budget: what you really need to plan for

Often overlooked expenses

Floor rental, booth design, transport, and logistics are the visible costs, generally accounting for 60 to 70% of the total budget. Organizer fees are systematically underestimated: electrical connections (often billed based on requested power, with a surcharge if demand exceeds the initial estimate), water supply and drainage for booths with tastings, rigging for hanging signs, daily cleaning, and access badges for the team and secondary exhibitors. These organizer fees generally represent 8 to 15% of the total budget and are often discovered when the final invoice arrives rather than being anticipated in the initial quote.

Indirect costs are the second blind spot: internal preparation time (15 to 30 hours of work spread across several departments), travel and accommodation for the team on-site (3 to 5 nights depending on team size and show duration), printed communication materials, and product samples for tasting. All indirect costs represent 30 to 50% of the total real cost of participation. For full details on this cost structure: cost of a booth, what you really pay per square meter.

Modular or custom-built booth: how to decide

Custom-built is the way to go for a strategic first-time participation at SIRHA, or for a product launch where visual exclusivity matters more than amortizing costs over several editions. Modular becomes relevant from the second participation onwards, or if you also exhibit at other food industry trade shows during the year (Sandwich & Snack Show, Sirha Europe, or regional industry shows). The concrete calculation: a 24 m² custom-built booth for a one-off participation generally costs between €800 and €2,000 per m² all-inclusive. If rebuilt identically for a second edition, the reassembly costs about 80% of the first assembly. A modular booth designed from the start for multiple editions brings this reassembly cost down to between €3,000 and €6,000 per subsequent edition, excluding initial design.

Generating qualified leads during SIRHA

Capture tools: badges, forms, scanning

Attending a trade show without a contact collection strategy is leaving opportunities on the table. Badge scanning remains the fastest method for the team (less than 5 seconds per contact), but it only captures minimal information: name, job title, and company. To truly qualify a lead, you must supplement this scan with contextual data, gathered orally and noted immediately in a mobile app shared by the team—not on sticky notes or handwritten business cards that get lost by the end of the day.

A QR code leading to a short form (3 to 4 fields maximum: sector, project type, timeline) works well as a supplement, especially for visitors who walk past the booth without stopping but scan while on the move. This is the logic behind turning a booth into a lead-generation machine, rather than just a business card collector. Centralizing this data in a CRM or a shared spreadsheet, with a designated person responsible for consolidating it at the end of each day, prevents the classic loss of information between the end of the show and returning to the office.

Engagement as a visitor magnet

A tasting, a product demonstration, a scheduled highlight: at a food industry trade show like SIRHA, the product experience remains the most effective magnet, far more so than mass-distributed promotional items. A culinary demonstration scheduled at fixed times (for example, every two hours, announced on screens and promoted on social media beforehand) creates a natural gathering point and extends the time visitors spend at the booth, which mechanically facilitates the subsequent sales conversation.

After the show: turning contacts into opportunities

The 48-hour follow-up: the window that really counts

Most opportunities are won after the show, not during it. In the 48 to 72 hours following the event, take three concrete actions: a personalized thank-you email (not a generic bulk send, but a mention of the specific topic discussed at the booth), sending the promised documentation or sample, and a LinkedIn connection request with a follow-up message. After this 72-hour window, response rates drop sharply: a contact who met ten exhibitors over three days of the show will no longer remember the details of each conversation a week later.

Reporting that proves the show's ROI

Don't just measure booth traffic. Measure the business impact over 90 to 180 days: number of qualified leads (not the raw number of badges scanned), lead-to-meeting conversion rate, meeting-to-sales-opportunity conversion rate, and revenue generated or currently under negotiation. For the complete, step-by-step calculation method: how to calculate the ROI of a trade show.

A successful participation in SIRHA does not depend solely on the booth or the location. It relies on rigorous preparation, a clear strategy, and a sales follow-up that doesn't end when the show closes.

Before you start planning for SIRHA, ask yourself: where do you really stand in your preparation? If any point on this list seems unclear, that is likely where you should start.

Note: The information contained in this article is provided for informational purposes only and was collected as of the date of publication. Dates, procedures, required documents, fees, deadlines, and participation conditions may be changed at any time by the organizer. Only information disseminated through the event's official channels is authoritative. Remember to check for the latest updates with the organizer before taking any action.

FAQ

What are the dates for SIRHA 2027?

SIRHA Lyon 2027 will take place from January 21 to 25, 2027 at Eurexpo Lyon, over 5 days. The trade show brings together professionals from the catering, hospitality, and food service industries across several themed halls at Eurexpo Lyon.

When should you book your stand for SIRHA?

Ideally between 9 and 12 months before the event. The best locations go quickly, and booking early gives you time to design a stand that truly serves your business goals, rather than ending up with a leftover spot on the outskirts of visitor traffic.

What budget should you plan for a stand at SIRHA?

The budget depends on the surface area, the level of finish, and the choice between modular and custom-built. You must always include organizer fees (8 to 15% of the budget) and indirect costs (30 to 50% of the total actual cost), which are often missing from initial quotes.

Modular stand or custom stand for SIRHA?

Custom-built is suitable for a strategic first-time participation or a product launch. Modular becomes more cost-effective from the second edition onwards, with reassembly costs between €3,000 and €6,000 per edition, compared to 80% of a full build for a custom stand recreated identically.

How can you generate qualified leads during SIRHA?

By combining badge scanning, a short form via QR code, and a verbal qualification grid of no more than 3 questions, centralized in real-time on a mobile app shared by the team rather than on paper.

How long before the show should you start preparing your presence?

Strategic planning begins 9 to 12 months in advance. Stand design and production start 4 to 6 months before, incorporating technical constraints specific to the food sector (cold chain, reinforced power supply, hygiene standards). Pre-show communication and team training intensify in the final two months.