Trade show ROI calculator
Add up what exhibiting costs, say how many leads you expect and how many become customers, and see the return, the cost per lead, and how many deals you need to break even.
Trade show ROI is the profit the show produces minus what it cost, divided by what it cost. To estimate it, total your booth, travel, staff and other costs, multiply leads by your close rate and average deal value to get revenue, apply your gross margin to get profit, then subtract cost and divide by cost. Break-even is the cost divided by the profit on one deal.
Estimate your return
What this assumes
Every figure the calculator starts with, and where it comes from. Where the honest answer is that a number depends on your venue, it says so rather than inventing one.
- The starting numbers are an example
- The fields start with a worked example (200 leads, a 5% close rate, a $10,000 deal) so the page shows a real calculation before you type. They are not benchmarks for any industry.
- Gross margin starts at 100%
- Starts at 100%, so the default result counts revenue. Lower it to your actual gross margin to measure profit-based ROI, which is the stricter test.
- Costs are yours
- Every cost is a number you type. Staff time is the value of the hours your team spends at and preparing for the show.
What it does not model
- Sales that close long after the show and are hard to attribute to it.
- Brand awareness, relationships and partnerships that do not show up as a deal.
- Lead quality: every lead is counted the same, though some are far more likely to buy.
- Repeat customers, upsell and lifetime value beyond the average deal you enter.
Estimate only, from the figures you entered. Not a quote. Last reviewed October 2026.
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Frequently asked questions
How is trade show ROI calculated?
ROI is net result divided by total cost. A 100% ROI means the show returned its cost once over, on top of getting the cost back.
What is a good trade show ROI?
There is no universal answer. It depends on your margin, your sales cycle and your alternatives for spending the same money. Use your own past shows as the comparison.
When should I measure ROI?
Many deals close months after the show, so it helps to review ROI again once the pipeline from the show has had time to convert, and to track which closed deals started as show leads.
How does lead capture affect the result?
Capturing context on each lead at the booth makes close rate easier to measure afterward. Map D's lead retrieval records notes and interest tags with each scan, and exports to CSV or your CRM.
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Sources
- Map D pricing · checked 2026-09-18
