In Part 1 we focused on business foundations. In this second part, we move into what I consider the most underestimated and, at the same time, most decisive factor at fashion trade shows: human behaviour.

This is where I see opportunities destroyed every single day. Not because of product quality. Not because of pricing. But because of attitude, lack of presence and poor awareness of how buyers actually perceive brands.

The reality is simple: at a fashion trade show, you are not just a brand. You are a person representing a business. And every single gesture communicates something.

1. Not standing up when someone enters the booth

It sounds trivial, yet it happens constantly at B2B fashion trade shows. A visitor walks into the booth, looks around, comes closer. And the brand stays seated. Sometimes they do not even look up.

This scene, repeated dozens of times a day, sends a very clear message, even if unintentional: disinterest.

Standing up is not a formality.
It is a signal of respect.
It is the first act of a professional relationship.
Without saying a word, it communicates: “I see you. You matter. Your time matters.”

At trade shows, body language speaks before words, and it speaks loudly.

When you stay seated behind a table, you create an invisible barrier. You create distance instead of connection. And if you do not activate yourself when someone enters your space, you are implicitly saying that your time is more valuable than theirs.

No buyer wants to work with a brand that starts from this position, because they know the same attitude will likely appear later in order management, problem-solving and long-term relationships.

Standing up, taking one step forward, making eye contact and showing a slight smile are micro-actions, but their impact is significant. Very often, in the first three seconds, a buyer decides whether to stop properly or just take a quick look. Once that initial attention is lost, recovering it becomes extremely difficult.

2. Being on your phone instead of being present in the booth

This is one of the most serious and most frequent mistakes brands make at fashion trade shows, and also one of the most underestimated.

Scrolling on Instagram, replying to personal messages or checking notifications while standing in your booth sends a destructive signal to anyone observing you.

A buyer seeing this will think one very clear thing, even if they never say it out loud: if this is your level of focus when you are trying to win clients, how will you perform after the deal starts?

If you are distracted in the moment that requires maximum attention, how will you manage orders, delays, problems or urgent requests?

There is another aspect often ignored: the buyer does not know whether you are busy or simply uninterested. From their perspective, they only see someone choosing a phone over the person in front of them.

In a trade show environment, where time is limited and alternatives are endless, this is enough for a buyer to move on to the next booth.

A fashion trade show is not the place to kill time. It is where you must be fully present, both mentally and physically.

Your phone should only be used if it directly supports the business: showing a digital catalogue, checking specific information or saving a contact. Everything else communicates disorganisation, superficiality and lack of respect.

You are not there to fill hours. You are there to build relationships. And relationships only start when you are genuinely present.

3. Thinking some visitors are useless

This is a mental mistake before it becomes an operational one. At a fashion trade show, no visitor is useless.

If someone is there, they are connected to the industry in some way: buyer, agent, consultant, media, investor or someone who knows someone. Thinking otherwise means not understanding how this industry truly works.

The visitor who seems least interesting is often the most underestimated. Not because they will place an order, but because they are part of a broader ecosystem.

Fashion, like many industries, is built on indirect relationships. Opportunities rarely arrive in a straight line.

This is the paradox: these people, when treated with respect and real attention, are often the most willing to help. They are not under immediate buying pressure. They observe, connect and recommend.

A journalist can talk about you.
A consultant can suggest you to a client.
A junior buyer today can become a decision-maker tomorrow.
An influencer can amplify your visibility.
A curious visitor can connect you with a store you would never reach directly.

When you treat someone with superiority because they are “not the right buyer”, you communicate arrogance and short-term thinking. When you invest five minutes of genuine listening, you build relational capital. And that capital almost always comes back.

At trade shows, the right question is not what this person can do for you today, but what role they might play in your journey over the next months or years.

If you do not even try to extract value from an apparently “irrelevant” contact, then the truly irrelevant one might be you.

4. Not asking for contacts

If someone enters your booth and leaves without giving a contact, you have wasted time, energy and money.

You paid for the space, the travel, the setup and the staff. And you gave up the only element that creates real value at a fashion trade show: the ability to continue the relationship.

A trade show does not end when the exhibition hall closes. The trade show starts with the follow-up.

That is where orders, partnerships and real business opportunities are built. Without contacts, there is no follow-up. Without follow-up, there is no business. There is only presence without results.

Many fashion brands focus obsessively on what happens inside the booth and completely ignore what happens after. This is a major strategic mistake.

Buyers need time. They reflect, discuss internally and compare options. Very rarely do they make final decisions on the spot. If you have no way to contact them afterwards, you simply disappear from their radar.

Everyone who enters your booth should leave a contact. Everyone.
This is not about aggressive selling. It is about giving yourself the chance to exist after the trade show.

How and when you use that contact is your strategic decision. But without it, every opportunity ends the moment the visitor walks away.

5. Unreadable, incomplete or only digital business cards

I will be very clear here: print business cards. No excuses.

Sustainability matters, but it should not be used as an excuse for laziness or lack of experience. Paper business cards remain extremely powerful because they are physical.

They exist in the real world. They move from hand to hand. They stay in pockets, bags and on desks. They end up in piles that buyers review at the end of the day or after the trade show.

A QR code saved quickly on a phone usually disappears among dozens of anonymous contacts, forgotten screenshots and unused apps. It creates no memory and no emotional anchor.

A business card works as a mental trigger. When a buyer looks at it, they remember your face, the conversation, the booth and the feeling. It is a tool of continuity, not a symbol of false modernity.

If you print a business card, do it properly. This is not about design trends. It is a working tool:

Name immediately readable
Company clearly identifiable
Phone number and email clearly visible
All essential information on one side only

If the buyer has to flip it, squint, move it closer to the light or ask you to write something by hand, you already lost credibility.

Style comes later. Function comes first. Because at fashion trade shows, the brands that win are not the coolest ones, but the easiest to remember and contact.

6. Leaving the booth unattended

This happens more often than most brands realise. Uncoordinated breaks. Everyone leaving at the same time. Booths left empty during peak hours.

An unattended booth is one of the strongest negative signals you can send at a trade show. It communicates disorganisation, lack of leadership and poor operational control.

From a buyer’s perspective, the message is simple: if you are not present when I am evaluating you, you probably will not be present when I have a problem.

At fashion trade shows, every minute counts. Buyers rarely come back randomly. If they pass by and find no one, they move on. The opportunity is gone.

Managing a booth means managing shifts, breaks and responsibility. Even if you are alone or just two people, the booth should never be left unattended.

If you cannot guarantee continuous presence for two or three days, the question becomes legitimate: how do you expect to manage markets, clients and long-term commercial relationships?

7. Arriving late to the booth

Arriving late means losing opportunities that will not come back. This is not a metaphor. It is a fact.

The most serious buyers, those with clear agendas and limited time, visit booths early in the morning, when their focus is high and their schedule is still flexible.

If you are not there, you are out of their radar before the day has even started.

A buyer who finds your booth closed or only partially operational rarely returns. Not because they are rude, but because they have many alternatives and very little time.

Punctuality at fashion trade shows is not optional. It is part of your professional credibility.

Being ready before opening time, setting up calmly and being fully present communicates reliability, respect and control. And in international B2B fashion, these qualities matter as much as the product itself.

8. Not taking English seriously

English is not an extra. It is a working tool, just like your price list, catalogue or contract.

You do not need perfect or academic English. You need clear, confident and functional English.

You must be able to explain who you are, what you do, how you work, your pricing and your conditions without hesitation.

If you struggle to find words or lose clarity, the buyer is not judging your language skills. They are judging the solidity of your business.

When you cannot clearly explain your product or your business model, trust drops. Not because you are foreign, but because you appear unprepared.

English at fashion trade shows is about leading the conversation, not surviving it. Asking the right questions. Clarifying details. Negotiating terms. Closing next steps.

If you do not control these moments, you are giving control of the relationship to the other side.

If you operate internationally, English must be trained like any other core skill. Not once a year before a fair, but consistently over time. Because in business, language is not just communication. It is power.

Conclusion

Many fashion brands lose sales not because they lack quality, but because they are not present.

At fashion trade shows, success belongs to those who know how to occupy space, read people and build real relationships.

In the next part, we will go deeper into image, communication and brand perception. Because at trade shows, before buying a product, people buy a feeling.

If you want to play this game seriously, you must learn to manage it also on a human level.