A trade show is an event that provides a reasonably concentrated display of products and services in a related field with admittance often restricted to people associated with that field.

A trade show is typically aimed at a specific industry, for instance plastics or hardware or heating & plumbing, and a person must generally be involved in that industry to be eligible to attend. In some cases, attendees must be able to prove that they are qualified to attend the trade show in question; in other cases, only those who are invited to attend are eligible. Simply put, a "trade show" targets a specific industry.