1 · The short answer
For a spring or autumn of trade shows in Europe, buy Ringo Light's Europe plan: one data eSIM for 33 countries, including the host countries of MWC Barcelona, Hannover Messe, VivaTech, IFA, Web Summit and Slush, unlimited data at full speed, 2 weeks for $22.99 or 30 days for $35.99, with nothing that renews. For a single show, the host country's own plan is cheaper, and for someone on the road for shows every month the Global plan covers 133 countries for $49.99 a month. Next editions, from each official site: CES 6 to 9 January 2027, MWC Barcelona 1 to 4 March 2027, Hannover Messe 5 to 8 April 2027, IFA 3 to 7 September 2027, Web Summit 9 to 12 November 2026, Slush 18 and 19 November 2026, GITEX Global 7 to 11 December 2026; VivaTech is usually held in June. The Europe plan is at ringoesim.com/europe.
Below: the calendar with the plan for each show, what actually goes wrong with phones at a big event, and how to set up the people on your stand.
2 · The calendar, and the plan for each show
Dates are the next edition as each show's official website gave it when we checked. Shows move; check the site before you book flights.
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GITEX was held in October for years at the Dubai World Trade Centre; the 2026 edition moves to Expo City Dubai and to December.
3 · What goes wrong with phones at a big show
Every show on this list puts tens of thousands of people and their phones into a few steel and concrete halls. The networks bring in extra capacity for the big ones, but at the busiest hours data can still slow to a crawl, and that is exactly when the phone is doing the most work.
- The badge and the tickets. Most shows send the badge as a QR code in the app or by email. Add it to the phone's wallet or take a screenshot the night before, so the gate does not depend on the hall's signal.
- Lead scanning. Exhibitor apps scan the visitor's badge with the phone camera and sync the contact when there is a connection. Many keep scans offline and upload later; check yours does, and give the people on the stand their own data so the sync is not left to the venue Wi-Fi.
- Meetings and messages. Meeting tools, calendar changes and a colleague's message saying which hall they are in all need data. A plan on a good partner network, with 5G where the phone gets it, carries more of the crowd.
- The hotspot for the stand. Stand Wi-Fi is often a paid extra from the organiser. A laptop on the phone's hotspot covers a demo in a pinch.
- Battery. A day of scanning, maps and a phone hunting for signal in a crowded hall empties a battery by mid-afternoon. Carry a power bank, and charge at the stand.
Register for the venue Wi-Fi as a backup, not a plan. When a connection fails on arrival, our twelve fixes for an eSIM not working abroad solve most cases in a minute.
4 · Show by show
CES, Las Vegas. CES spreads across the Las Vegas Convention Center and several hotels on the Strip, so the day is half walking and half shuttles and rides between venues. Visitors from Europe are roaming outside the EU here, which is where a day pass on the work SIM costs the most. The plan: the United States plan, 2 weeks for $17.99 or 30 days for $22.99.
MWC Barcelona, Barcelona. MWC is the mobile industry's own show, which means the most phones per square metre of any event on this list. Fira Gran Via is in L'Hospitalet, on the airport side of the city, and the metro and taxi queues at the end of the day are where people most need a map and a ride app. The plan: the Spain plan, 2 weeks for $14.99 or 30 days for $26.99, or the Europe plan if the trip carries on to another show.
Hannover Messe, Hannover. Hannover Messe is an industrial show on one of the largest exhibition grounds in the world, with long walks between halls. Hotel rooms in the city tend to fill early, so many visitors stay further out and come in by train. The plan: the Germany plan, 2 weeks for $14.99 or 30 days for $26.99, or the Europe plan if the trip carries on to another show.
VivaTech, Paris. VivaTech fills Paris Expo at Porte de Versailles with startups, corporates and investors. The stands of the big groups are where the crowd is thickest. The plan: the France plan, 2 weeks for $14.99 or 30 days for $26.99, or the Europe plan if the trip carries on to another show.
IFA, Berlin. IFA is the consumer electronics show of Europe, at Messe Berlin under the radio tower. It is open to the public as well as the trade, so the halls are as full as anywhere in Europe. The plan: the Germany plan, 2 weeks for $14.99 or 30 days for $26.99, or the Europe plan if the trip carries on to another show.
Web Summit, Lisbon. Web Summit fills the arena and the FIL halls in Parque das Nações. The main stage holds a crowd the size of a concert, and the evening events spread across the city. The plan: the Portugal plan, 2 weeks for $14.99 or 30 days for $26.99, or the Europe plan if the trip carries on to another show.
Slush, Helsinki. Slush is a startup and investor event in late November, in the dark of a Helsinki winter. Meetings are scheduled through its matchmaking tool, so the phone runs the whole day, and the side events spread across the city in the evening. The plan: the Finland plan, 2 weeks for $14.99 or 30 days for $26.99, or the Europe plan if the trip carries on to another show.
GITEX Global, Dubai. GITEX is one of the biggest technology shows in the Middle East. The UAE is not on the Europe plan, so a team flying in from Europe needs the UAE plan or the Global plan. The plan: the UAE plan, 2 weeks for $39.99 or 30 days for $71.99.
5 · From the EU, the UK and the US
From an EU SIM, roam-like-at-home covers the shows in EU countries within the roaming allowance your carrier sets, so an eSIM there is about speed, the size of the allowance and a hotspot for the laptop. For CES and GITEX Global you are outside the EU rules, and a data eSIM is the simple fix.
From a UK SIM, many British carriers have brought back charges in the EU since Brexit, often a daily fee. Check yours before MWC or IFA; if the answer is a daily fee, a week at a show is where an eSIM pays for itself.
From a US SIM, the big carriers sell a daily international pass, billed for every day the phone touches a network abroad. A week in Barcelona or Berlin adds up; the Europe plan covers the trip. Keep the work SIM on for the number: our dual SIM guide has the settings.
6 · What two weeks of unlimited data in Europe costs
Our comparison of eSIMs for Europe priced the brands most people search for on the same day, 28 September 2026. Here is Ringo Light against the cheapest rival in each unlimited chart.
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Prices change; the comparison post has every brand and the full method.
7 · Setting up the people on your stand
- One show: the host country's own plan from the table, for 2 weeks or 30 days.
- A spring or autumn of European shows: the Europe plan, 33 countries, 2 weeks for $22.99 or 30 days for $35.99. ringoesim.com/europe
- The road warrior: the Global plan, $49.99 a month for 133 countries, unlimited data at full speed, renewing until you cancel. ringoesim.com/global
Each person installs their eSIM on Wi-Fi before they fly, keeps the work SIM on for calls and codes with its data roaming off, and sets the eSIM as the data line. Check the phones first: our guide to which phones support eSIM has the 30-second check. Every purchase has its own Stripe receipt by email for the expense claim.
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