How to Use an RFI to Select the Right Exhibit Partner

A practical guide to evaluating trade show exhibit companies before requesting a design

A request for information, or RFI, gives trade show exhibit companies a consistent way to explain their experience, processes, resources, and service model. Unlike a request for proposal, or RFP, it focuses on identifying qualified partners rather than requesting a detailed solution for a defined project.

In “Choose Your Exhibit Partner on Capabilities, Not a Speculative Design,” we explained why this distinction matters. Here, we turn that approach into a practical process: what to include, which questions to ask, and how to evaluate the answers. A useful RFI combines a clear program brief with questions about how a company works, followed by conversations that help both sides clarify expectations and assess fit.

Many companies use the RFI as the first stage of a larger selection process. They distribute it to interested exhibit companies, narrow the field to those that meet their expectations and fit, and then invite that shortlist to respond to a formal RFP that includes design. Others select a partner directly from the RFI and develop the exhibit solution together. Whether you use an RFI as a stand-alone evaluation or as the step before an RFP, the process below helps you vet every company that moves forward.

1. Describe the program, not just the next booth

Start with a brief explaining your business objectives and the exhibit program a partner would support. Include your show calendar, the cities and regions where you exhibit, booth sizes, priority audiences, functional needs, existing assets, budget parameters, and internal resources.

Identify expected changes, such as larger footprints, new campaigns, or additional events.

Include overlapping shows and tight turnaround dates. If you exhibit frequently, build potential scheduling conflicts into the discussion even if none appear on the current calendar. Supporting two simultaneous events requires a different asset and logistics plan than sending a single exhibit from show to show, and a growing program may eventually need both approaches.

Separate confirmed requirements from decisions you need help making. If you have not decided between renting and purchasing, say so.

Also explain what prompted the search, whether it is growth, inconsistent execution, aging assets, or too much internal coordination.

The objective is to help prospective partners understand the program they would support without prescribing the solution.

2. Understand the strategy and creative process

Ask prospective partners to explain how they move from business objectives to exhibit strategy and design. Look for a process that connects discovery, creative development, stakeholder input, and execution rather than a concept for your booth.

Useful questions include:

• How do you conduct discovery and establish priorities?

• How do audience needs, products, messaging, and sales objectives inform design?

• How do exhibit designers, graphic designers, and digital specialists collaborate?

• How are concepts reviewed, refined, and approved?

• How are success measures established and reviewed after an event?

Request a completed project illustrating this process. Ask the company to explain the client’s objectives, the reasoning behind design decisions, and how the solution was executed. Evaluate the connection between the business challenge and the finished experience, not just the appearance of the exhibit.

3. Establish in-house capabilities and accountability

A service list does not tell you who performs the work or takes responsibility for the result. Ask each company to describe its capabilities across design, engineering, manufacturing, custom fabrication, graphics, digital experiences, logistics, and asset management.

Clarify:

• Which capabilities are in-house, and where is the work performed?

• Who designs, engineers, and manufactures the structures?

• How are custom elements and technology integrated?

• Who manages quality, schedules, and changes?

• What responsibilities remain with your team?

• Who resolves production, fit, finish, or warranty issues?

Distinguish between access to services and responsibility for delivering them. If outside providers are involved, ask how their work is managed and who remains accountable. The objective is to establish whether your team will have one responsible partner or several relationships to coordinate.

4. Give graphics production its own evaluation

Do not treat fabric graphics as interchangeable. Ask prospective partners to explain their materials, printing methods, production controls, and standards for the finished result.

Start with where graphics are printed. Are they produced in-house or outsourced? If multiple facilities are used, how are standards maintained across locations? Then examine the process:

• Materials and printing: How are fabrics and printing methods selected for the application?

• Calibration and color: How are printers calibrated, brand colors matched, and consistency checked across production runs?

• Artwork and proofing: Who checks files, and what proofing or physical-sample options are available?

• Fit and finish: How are dimensions, seams, tension, alignment, and finishing checked against the exhibit structure?

• Replacement graphics: How is a new panel matched to existing graphics, including differences in material or condition?

• Updates, care, and version control: Can fabric graphics be washed, and what care instructions apply? How are approved files retained, individual graphics refreshed, and outdated versions removed from use?

Ask for examples or samples where useful. A portfolio image cannot answer every question about color, material, or fit. The objective is to understand how the company controls the result, from approved artwork through production and installation.

5. Evaluate rental, ownership, and reconfiguration together

Ask how a partner supports the program as footprints, schedules, and investment priorities change. Can owned structures be reconfigured for different spaces? Can rented components expand an owned exhibit? Does the company rent the same structures it sells, or maintain a separate rental product line?

Explore what those differences mean for compatibility, appearance, quality, and future options. For a busy calendar, ask how rental resources could supplement owned assets when events overlap or leave insufficient time for shipping, inspection, and preparation between shows.

Ask where those resources are located. Does the company have locations in the regions where you exhibit, or is rental supported out of a single location? Where are owned assets stored and serviced between shows? Proximity to your show cities can affect shipping costs, turnaround time, and how easily the partner can respond to changes close to an event.

Request completed examples showing how the company has handled different footprints and concurrent events. Discuss asset allocation, rental capacity, duplicate graphics, and separate logistics rather than requesting a custom rendering.

The objective is to determine whether the partner can support the full calendar while preserving flexibility as your program changes.

6. Review production checks and ongoing support

Ask how the company verifies readiness before shipment and maintains assets between events. Cover production inspections, pre-show staging or preview builds, installation planning, onsite supervision, post-show inspection, repairs, and inventory management.

Clarify when staging is available, what is checked, and how issues are documented and resolved. Include fit and finish here as well as in the graphics discussion, and ask how asset condition and availability are communicated before the next shipment.

Review budget management alongside operational support. How are estimates, exclusions, variable costs, changes, and approvals documented? At this stage, evaluate the processes that protect readiness and manage investment rather than comparing finished-design bids.

7. Ask how results are measured and reported

Post-show review comes up in several earlier steps, and it deserves its own set of questions in the RFI. Ask each company how it measures exhibit performance, how it reports results to your team, and whether it can evaluate your current trade show presence before recommending changes.

Useful questions include:

• Do you have event strategy and measurement specialists on staff, or is this work handled by outside providers?

• How do you help define measurable goals before a show?

• What information do you collect during and after an event, and who collects it?

• What reports, visuals, or summaries will our team receive, and when?

• Do you offer an audit of our current trade show presence, and what does it include?

• Can your team observe our exhibit at a show or interview our staff and stakeholders?

• How are findings used to adjust the exhibit, staffing, or plans for the next event?

An audit can be especially useful at the start of a relationship because it gives both sides a shared view of what is working before design decisions are made. Ask for an example of a report or audit summary the company has delivered, with confidential details removed.

The objective is to understand how the partner will help you learn from each event and improve the program over time.

8. Meet the working team and check references

Meet the proposed account and project leads, with creative, graphics, or production specialists participating where relevant. Clarify responsibilities, specialist involvement, and backup coverage, then ask the team to explain a comparable program from discovery through post-show review.

Listen for how decisions moved between strategy, creative development, production, and execution. Use reference conversations to verify those same capabilities:

• Did the partner understand the business before developing the exhibit?

• Did the completed work meet approved design, graphics, and quality expectations?

• Were responsibilities, schedules, and budget changes communicated clearly?

• How effectively did the team manage multiple events?

• Who took ownership when problems occurred?

• Did the partnership reduce the client team’s coordination workload?

The objective is to verify how the team works in practice, not simply collect a general endorsement.

9. Score qualifications, then select the partner

Agree on evaluation criteria before reviewing responses. A suggested scorecard is:

• Strategy, creative process, and measurement: 20%

• One-source capabilities and accountability: 20%

• Graphics production and quality assurance: 20%

• Rental, ownership, and reconfiguration flexibility: 15%

• Execution, asset management, and budget stewardship: 15%

• Working team and relevant references: 10%

These are suggested weights, not an industry standard. Adjust them to reflect your program, score each category consistently, and record the supporting evidence. Distinguish demonstrated experience from broad promises, resolving important gaps through focused follow-up conversations.

Once you identify the strongest fit, confirm scope, commercial terms, responsibilities, and expectations. Then begin deeper discovery and collaborative design with the selected partner.

The RFI has value in its own right. It helps clarify requirements, assess expertise, and establish how a prospective partner works. It does not need to lead to a speculative design competition.

Last reviewed: October 22, 2026
Brian Lanning reviewed this article for factual accuracy, technical completeness, and alignment with current industry practices. With over 25 years in tradeshow marketing, Brian specializes in guiding clients through complex exhibit programs from concept to completion.

Contact us today for a free consultation!