There's nothing worse than running out of business cards on day two of a three-day exhibition, or realizing staff badges were never ordered. Here's a complete printing checklist to work through before your next Dubai World Trade Centre event.
In this guide
At a busy exhibition, you may meet dozens of relevant contacts per day across a multi-day event. Running out partway through means missed connections at exactly the moments they matter most.
Checklist tip: Estimate your expected daily visitor interactions, multiply by the number of exhibition days, and add a 20–30% buffer for unexpected interest or reprints of damaged cards.
Flyers work well for quick, casual booth visitors who want a takeaway without a lengthy conversation. If your product needs more explanation, a folded brochure format often communicates more effectively than a single flyer. Bring roughly double the quantity you think you'll need — exhibitions have unpredictable traffic spikes, especially on opening day.
This is one of the most commonly overlooked items on exhibition checklists, largely because it's assumed to be "handled" by someone else until it isn't. Staff need clearly identifiable badges, both for professionalism and often for venue security requirements at DWTC and similar venues.
For multi-day exhibitions, comfort matters — staff wearing a badge for 8+ hours a day will notice the difference between a scratchy flat lanyard and a softer tube lanyard. Ordering staff lanyards and badges together ahead of your event ensures this doesn't become a last-minute scramble.
Giveaway items keep your brand in attendees' hands after they leave your booth. Stickers are a low-cost, high-volume option; branded pens or notebooks feel more substantial for higher-value leads. Consider tiering your giveaways — stickers for general visitors, a more premium item reserved for qualified leads.
Finalize design for all print materials (business cards, flyers, lanyards, badges, giveaways).
Place your print order, accounting for standard production lead times — different items may have different lead times from different specialists.
Confirm delivery of all materials and do a full inventory check against your checklist.
Pack and organize materials by day/purpose so booth setup on-site is fast and stress-free.
Peak exhibition season in Dubai can strain production timelines across multiple suppliers simultaneously, so building in buffer time is especially important. Reviewing your full material list together — rather than ordering pieces separately — helps ensure consistent colors, fonts, and logo placement across everything a visitor sees at your booth.
Exhibitors typically need business cards, flyers or brochures, branded lanyards and ID badges for staff, and often stickers or promotional items for booth giveaways.
It's best to order exhibition print materials at least 2 to 3 weeks before the event to allow time for design approval, production, and any unexpected delays during peak exhibition season.
Tube lanyards are often preferred for multi-day exhibitions since their soft, rounded design is more comfortable for extended daily wear compared to flat polyester lanyards.
Yes, physical business cards remain valuable at exhibitions since attendees meet many exhibitors in a short time and often keep physical cards as a reminder.
Staff ID badges, booth signage, and backup quantities of flyers or business cards are commonly underestimated, leading to shortages partway through multi-day events.
Related Products & Services
Cards, lanyards, badges & giveaways · one supplier · Color Spot Printing since 2004.
