Tourism trade shows have become an increasingly attractive channel for practitioners to meet potential buyers. However, few studies have conceptualized non‐industrial buyers' consumption behavior during these events. This study proposes a model to conceptualize trade show visitors' buying behavior. The analysis of 738 trade show visitors shows that variety‐seeking tendency and deal proneness directly influence visitors' tourism product consumption behavior. In addition, price sensitivity can affect deal proneness and variety‐seeking tendency. Nevertheless, contrary to existing literature, service quality will not moderate visitors' buying processes. The implications of this study are discussed within tourism management literature. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.