Trade Show Software & Automation
showPRO™ is trade show software from JT Smith & Associates that automates show ordering, booth contracts, registration and billing in one system, with an onsite team at the show. One example is the Prince Corporation show app on Google Play, published by JT Smith & Associates.
What is trade show software?
Trade show software is the set of tools used to run a trade show: booth sales and floor plans, attendee registration and badges, lead retrieval, order taking on the show floor, and virtual shows. Some products do one of these jobs. showPRO™ from JT Smith & Associates does several in one system.
Types of trade show software
Trade show software usually covers one or more of these five jobs. Each one links to the showPRO™ page that covers it.
Exhibitor management, floor plans and booth sales
Organizers sell and assign booths on an interactive floor plan. Exhibitors fill in their profile and order booth services in a self-service portal. See showPRO™'s trade show management software.
Registration and badge printing
Attendees and exhibitors register for the show and wear a printed badge on the floor. At showPRO™ shows, JT Smith's onsite Red Vest team staffs registration and prints badges. More on showPRO™'s event management tools.
Lead retrieval
Exhibitors scan attendee badges at the booth, so each visit is captured as a lead. showPRO™ Leads is the lead retrieval app for events run on showPRO™.
Order taking
At buying shows, buyers and reps scan or pick items, contract pricing and show deals apply as the order is built, and orders sync to the distributor's ERP. showPRO™'s trade show ordering app keeps working when show-floor Wi-Fi drops.
Virtual shows
A virtual show puts the vendors, new items and show specials online. Gard'N-Wise ran its 2020 Gard'N-Expo virtually on showPRO™, and Tactical Gear Distributors runs the TGD Virtual Show. More on virtual trade show software.
Where showPRO™ fits: B2B buying shows
showPRO™ is built for B2B buying shows: the dealer, buying and food shows that wholesale distributors and manufacturers host. Buyers and reps order on the show floor, orders save on the device when Wi-Fi drops, and they sync to the distributor's ERP. showPRO™ has been in use since 1991, and JT Smith's Red Vest team works onsite at the show.
For a distributor, that makes showPRO™ trade show automation software for the whole show, with ordering, booth contracts, registration and billing in one system. Trade show organizers and associations use it too. For conferences and other events, see JT Smith's event technology solutions.
Replace Manual Processes with Intelligent Automation
Managing a modern B2B trade show or wholesale distributor expo involves coordinating thousands of moving parts. Organizers must handle exhibitor registrations, process payments, allocate booth spaces, coordinate shipping logistics, manage on-site contractor tasks, and build directories.
Relying on manual spreadsheets, paper checklists, and endless email chains is a recipe for operational disaster. Transcription mistakes, late vendor submissions, incorrect booth placements, and uncollected balances cut into event profit margins and damage relationships.
Trade show automation software changes everything. By centralizing operations into a single system, organizers can set up automated business rules that calculate taxes, process deposits, route service tasks, update show directories, and distribute invoices in real-time.
What Is Trade Show Automation Software?
Trade show automation software is an enterprise event operations platform designed to automate the administrative tasks associated with organizing exhibitions. It acts as a single, central database that coordinates exhibitors, organizers, event service providers (GSCs), and venue management.
Instead of treating booth applications, floor plan mapping, decorator service orders, payments, and lead tracking as disconnected systems, automation software brings them together. When an exhibitor completes a step in the portal, the system automatically runs background workflows to adjust space plans, generate invoices, allocate contractor work tickets, and publish updates to public directories.
1. Automated Exhibitor Directories & Onboarding
The onboarding process sets the tone for the entire event. showPRO's exhibitor portal provides a self-service registration interface that guides exhibitors step-by-step.
Exhibitors upload their company profiles, logo assets, digital product catalogs, and contact details directly. The platform validates upload sizes and text lengths in real-time, automatically publishing completed profiles to the automated show directory.
The system enforces task compliance through automated notifications. If an exhibitor hasn't submitted their certificate of insurance (COI) or selected their booth package by the deadline, the rules engine sends customized email and SMS reminders.
Onboarding Automation Rules:
Automated Metadata Parsing
Instantly extracts company data and tags categories to build an interactive, searchable directory.
Deadline Escalation Triggers
Sends progressive alerts to exhibitors with incomplete profiles or outstanding tasks.
Asset Size & Aspect Ratio Validation
Prevents broken web layouts by checking high-res logos and image uploads on-the-fly.
Billing Automation Capabilities:
2. Invoicing Automation & Secure Payments
Financial management is a primary bottleneck in trade show organization. Manual billing leads to mismatched payments, incorrect bank reconciliation, and overdue balances.
showPRO's financial module automates the entire billing cycle. When an exhibitor orders services—like electrical hookups, Wi-Fi lines, carpet tiles, or booth cleaning—the system instantly calculates costs, generates a detailed PDF tax invoice, and routes it to the exhibitor's billing address.
Payments are captured securely via integrated gateways (Stripe, NetSuite Payment, SAP). Transactions are auto-reconciled, updating the organizer's ledger and unlocking the corresponding service tickets in real-time.
3. GSC Task Routing & Contractor Management
Translating service requests into on-site actions is critical on set-up day. If an exhibitor's request for electrical hookups or custom rigging is missed, it delays their entire installation.
Our platform includes a dynamic task routing engine that bridges exhibitors and General Service Contractors (GSCs). When an electrical or rigging order is paid, the system automatically generates a work ticket and assigns it to the contractor group responsible for that hall zone.
Field contractors access their tasks via a mobile web app. As they install carpet, hook up electrical cables, or clean booths, they update the task status, upload confirmation photos, and close the work order. Organizers monitor overall operational progress from a central dashboard.
Contractor Task Flow Metrics:
Interactive Floor Plan Actions:
Drag-and-Drop Re-allocations
Easily adjust booth sizes or relocate exhibitors on a visual layout canvas.
Automatic Utility Boundary Calculations
Calculates power draw requirements and distance rules from structural pillars.
Real-time Public Directory Sync
Updates the interactive visitor map and show directory in real-time.
4. Collaborative Interactive Floor Plans
In traditional setups, changing a booth size requires CAD designers to redraw plans, billing managers to adjust invoices, and sales reps to cross-reference listings.
showPRO's interactive collaborative floor planning module links visual designs directly to the registration database. When an exhibitor's space is adjusted, the platform automatically recalculates pricing and updates their balance.
The interactive floor plan updates in real-time for attendees. If an exhibitor cancels or changes position, the digital directory reflect the changes immediately, ensuring visitors always navigate with accurate information.
5. Logistics, Freight Routing & Shipping Schedules
Marshalling yards, freight warehouses, and loading docks are hotbeds for logistical issues on show day. Without scheduling systems, trucks arrive simultaneously, causing gridlock.
showPRO's logistics module coordinates delivery times, dock appointments, and freight handling. Exhibitors generate barcoded shipping labels directly from their portal.
As carriers arrive at the marshalling yard or advance warehouse, crews scan the barcodes to check-in the freight. The system registers the arrival, updates the warehouse database, and alerts the exhibitor that their crates are in transit to their designated booth space.
Logistics Control Systems:
Multi-Event Templates & Granular Staff Control
Multi-Event Template Architecture
Don't reinvent the wheel for every event. showPRO™ lets you save successful event designs, service catalogs, tax logic, decorator work rules, and onboarding checklists as reusable templates.
Clone your entire event configuration in seconds, modify details (dates, venue location, booth sizes), and launch the new exhibitor portal instantly.
Staff Roles & Permission Matrices
Manage access control for organizers, venue managers, finance staff, and third-party contractors using a centralized dashboard.
Assign roles (e.g., Electrician, Registrar, Auditor, General Administrator) to limit data access. Riggers see structural orders, accountants manage financial databases, and exhibitors modify only their own profiles.
Enterprise-Grade API Integrations
Automation must extend beyond the showPRO™ environment. Our software integrates seamlessly with your existing technology stack.
We provide robust REST APIs and pre-built connectors to synchronize data with CRM platforms (Salesforce, HubSpot) and ERP systems (NetSuite, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, QuickBooks Online).
As exhibitors register and purchase services, their records, transaction ledgers, and contact history are updated in your primary databases, ensuring complete operational consistency.
Integration Architecture:
Key Features of showPRO™ Trade Show Automation Software
Automated Exhibitor Ordering
Self-service catalogs, instant tax calculations, automated invoicing, and digital contract signing.
Smart GSC Task Assignment
Automatically routes paid services (carpet, electrical, rigging) to GSC zone crews with mobile status tracking.
Online Payment Processing
Secure credit card and ACH gateways with automatic invoice reconciliation and split deposit management.
Real-Time Revenue Dashboards
Monitor service order revenues, inventory levels, contractor task metrics, and payment collections instantly.
Multi-Event Management
Standardize operations across multiple events with reusable setup configurations, catalogs, and decorator routing rules.
Compliance Reminders
Enforces deadlines through automated email, push, and SMS notifications for COI submissions and catalog updates.
Strategic Benefits of Trade Show Automation
Centralizing exhibitor orders, decorator routing, collaborative layouts, and shipping logistics delivers massive efficiency gains. Exhibitors benefit from self-service portal clarity, instant utility approvals, and transparent billing. Organizers eliminate manual spreadsheet errors, reduce team coordination stress, accelerate revenue recognition, and gain total operational control over single and multi-event schedules.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is showPRO?
showPRO™ is B2B trade show ordering and event management software from JT Smith & Associates. Sales reps and buyers capture wholesale orders on the show floor — offline, with contract pricing and instant ERP sync — while organizers run registration, booth services, floor plans, and billing in the same system. Backed by 30 years and onsite crews who work the show with you.
What is trade show automation software?
Trade show automation software is an enterprise-grade platform designed to streamline and automate the complex operational workflows of hosting a trade show. It centralizes and automates exhibitor catalog updates, vendor service ordering (electricity, internet, rigging), invoicing and payments, general service contractor (GSC) task routing, real-time floor plan modifications, and dock scheduling. By replacing manual spreadsheets with automated, synchronized logic, it minimizes errors, saves hundreds of administrative hours, and improves the overall organizer and exhibitor experience.
How does the software handle General Service Contractor (GSC) task routing?
The platform features a custom-built rules engine that translates exhibitor service orders (such as custom booth cleaning, carpet installation, electrical hookups, or rigging) into automated tasks. These tasks are instantly dispatched to the appropriate contractor or GSC field teams based on predefined routing rules. Workers receive real-time notifications on their mobile devices, and organizers can track task status, completion times, and contractor performance in a single unified dashboard.
Can we manage floor plan changes dynamically?
Yes. showPRO™ includes a drag-and-drop collaborative floor planning tool. When an exhibitor changes their booth size or moves location, the interactive layout updates in real-time. Any changes automatically trigger billing adjustments, recalculate electrical or rigging load distributions, update the public-facing show directory, and alert GSC logistics crews of the new booth coordinates.
How does automated freight and shipping logistics work?
Our shipping logistics module automates marshalling yard check-ins, dock appointment slots, and warehouse routing. Exhibitors generate barcode labels directly from the system. As freight arrives at the advance warehouse or show dock, warehouse crews scan the barcodes to update the logistics queue, notifying the exhibitor in real-time that their crates have arrived and are being routed to their booth location.
What ERP and CRM platforms can showPRO™ integrate with?
The platform features robust REST APIs and pre-built connectors to integrate with enterprise CRM systems like Salesforce and HubSpot, as well as accounting and ERP backbones like NetSuite, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and QuickBooks Online. This ensures that exhibitor records, transaction ledgers, tax invoices, and sales performance metrics remain perfectly synchronized across your entire enterprise.
Automate Your Next Trade Show's Operations
Ready to streamline exhibitor onboarding, coordinate contractors instantly, and track budgets with enterprise-grade automation?
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