Preparing your press relations for an international trade show like Web Summit, VivaTech, or CES begins six to eight weeks before opening day. You need a news hook to announce, a shortlist of attending journalists to contact one by one, and an executive ready to speak and post on LinkedIn. The booth matters less than the preparation: on-site, every journalist is being courted by hundreds of exhibitors.

Last updated: October 2026.

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Why do international trade shows often disappoint when it comes to press relations?

Because a journalist's attention is the scarcest resource there. At CES 2026, the organizers counted 7,037 media representatives for over 4,100 exhibitors: fewer than two journalists per exhibitor, across all beats. At VivaTech 2026, more than 15,000 startups were present according to the organizers. At Web Summit 2025, 2,725 startups exhibited, according to figures published by Web Summit.

Journalists arrive with already packed schedules. According to Cision's 2026 State of the Media report, 72% of them believe that less than a quarter of the pitches they receive are relevant. During a trade show, this ratio worsens even further: every exhibitor sends out their press release during the same week.

The consequence is simple. A startup that discovers the press room on opening day gets almost nothing. One that has booked two or three meetings three weeks in advance leaves with articles.

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Web Summit, VivaTech, CES: what kind of press can you find at each show?

The three shows attract different journalists and different languages. The table summarizes what a French startup can expect from them. The dates are those published by the organizers as of October 13, 2026.

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Two takeaways emerge. VivaTech is the only one of the three where the French press dominates: it is the show for building presence in France. Web Summit and CES primarily serve expansion. They place a startup in front of the English-speaking press, provided you rewrite your story for them, as detailed in our guide to international PR.

A note on CES. The American mainstream press primarily follows the major brands there. For a French startup, the most accessible coverage comes from the French press present in Las Vegas, who cover the French delegation, and from trade publications in your specific sector.

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What PR timeline should you follow before, during, and after the show?

Eight weeks is enough if your news is ready. The table details the PR and LinkedIn actions, period by period.

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The schedule is tight for Web Summit 2026: with four weeks to go until the November 9 opening, there is just enough time to target and reach out. For CES, Media Days take place on January 4 and 5, 2027, before the show opens. Outreach must therefore go out in mid-December, before the holiday break.

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Do you need a news hook to do PR at a trade show?

Yes. Without an announcement, a startup has nothing to offer but its presence, and presence is not a story. Four types of news work well at a trade show:

• A launch : a product or feature unveiled during the event.
• A funding round announced during the week of the show, when investors are also on-site.
• A partnership with a major exhibiting corporation, announced at their booth.
• Original data : a study, a barometer, or a figure that no one else has.

Original data is the most underutilized lever. According to Muck Rack's 2026 State of Journalism, 40% of journalists value original data in a pitch.

News should then be timed around the trade show. The most effective approach: an exclusive pitched to a key media outlet, then an embargo released on the day of the opening or your speaking engagement. A press release sent to everyone on the same morning gets lost in the noise.

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How do press accreditations work at a trade show?

Thepress accreditation is reserved for journalists, based on criteria set by each organizer. At CES, media registration is free but subject to qualifications verified by the organizer. At Web Summit, the request is made via a dedicated form on the official website. A startup or its agency does not register as media: it registers as an exhibitor, speaker, or attendee.

What matters for you is knowing which journalists will be in attendance. Three sources complement each other:

• The journalists themselves, who often announce their attendance on LinkedIn or X in the weeks leading up to the event.
• The official media partners of the trade show, listed on its website.
• The press services offered to exhibitors (press room, press release distribution), which should be checked in the exhibitor kit.

Then, cross-reference these names with your press list to keep only those who cover your sector.

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How do you secure meetings with journalists during the trade show?

Reach out to them one by one, two to three weeks in advance, with a specific proposal. Keep the message to a few lines: the news, why it matters to the journalist's beat, the proposed time slot, the exact location, and the duration—fifteen to twenty minutes. According to Muck Rack, 88% of journalists immediately dismiss pitches outside their area of expertise, so keep your list short. Our guide on approaching a journalist details the format of the message.

Once on-site, offer formats that save the journalist time: a coffee at a set time away from the noise, a ten-minute demo, or a chat with a client who is present. Follow up only once, the day before, with the exact location.

Also, prepare an press kit online press kit, accessible via a short link: press release, high-definition visuals, photos of the executive, and key figures. No one leaves a trade show with a USB drive.

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How can you stand out at a trade show without a giant booth?

A booth rarely generates results. For a startup, five levers cost less and deliver more:

• Speaking opportunities : panels, masterclasses, or pitch competitions. Applications often close several months before the event.
• A collective pavilion : French Tech, Business France, or a regional pavilion, which pools visibility and attracts visiting French press.
• Satellite events : breakfasts, side events, and dinners around the show, where journalists are more available than they are in the aisles.
• An exhibiting client or partner : a joint announcement at their booth allows you to leverage their press audience.
• The executive as an expert source : a comment on a trade show trend is more interesting than a story about the startup itself.

This last lever requires preparation. An executive who needs to comment on a trend in English, in two minutes, in front of a microphone, should prepare as they would for an interview: this is the subject of the media training.

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How do you coordinate the executive's LinkedIn with PR during the event?

LinkedIn is where journalists spot who will be attending and who has something to say. According to Cision's 2026 State of the Media report, 62% of journalists use LinkedIn in their work, and 33% consider it the most useful platform. An executive who announces their attendance and topic makes press outreach more credible.

During the trade show, one post per day is enough, focusing on a perspective on what is being seen rather than a photo of a badge. A strict rule: nothing on LinkedIn that lifts an embargo before the time agreed upon with journalists.

After the trade show, every article secured is shared on LinkedIn. This is the principle of the press and LinkedIn system that Linker applies: the coverage fuels the profile, and the profile attracts the next set of journalists. Our method for amplifying press coverage on LinkedIn details it, and the LinkedIn ghostwriting takes over when the executive doesn't have time to write during the event.

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What should you do after the trade show to turn contacts into articles?

In-depth articles often appear after the trade show, not during it. Within 48 hours, send every journalist you met the materials you promised. Within two weeks, propose a follow-up: an interview, data, or a client to speak with.

Also, keep your expectations realistic. A trade show is not a full PR campaign. As a benchmark, three-month PR missions led by Linker produce between 7 and 15 pieces of media coverage, with a median of 10, based on five published client case studies. A well-prepared trade show accelerates this work; it does not replace it.

To choose the events of the year, see our selection of tech trade shows and events to target in 2026. And if a collective speaking opportunity is required, our guide on press conference helps you decide.

Linker supports French startups and scale-ups preparing for expansion in Europe or the United States, as well as foreign companies targeting the French press, for example around VivaTech. We do not handle local public relations in the United States for American companies. To prepare for your next trade show, discover our public relations agency.