What is the best way to manage information collected at a Trade Show?

These goals and metrics should be figured out not before you attend, but before you SIGN for a trade show. You should know who is going to be there and how they align with your ICP. If you will be getting the list ahead of time so you can try to book meetings. As well as what success will look like from the show. # of meetings booked? Scans? Sourced Pipeline? Influenced pipelines. Set these before you sign and you can evaluate if the spend is worth it or not.

Goals and Metrics are defined before a show, and the goals and expectations are set and communicated with the team attending. Includes: Attendance at the show, engagement at the show, leads collected, conversion rates, social media, surveys/feedback, ROI, and Post Event Analysis.

D+C+Ai... and before you all get excited by AI... this means data+context=Actionable insight... we have more than enough data in the world but why was someone there, what were their objectives and what were they hoping to get out of interacting with you... my point is thing about dat from the attendee point of view not just how you want to measure your activities as an event organiser.. thoughts?

PRE-SHOW: Keep your booth simple with focus on the product & a key benefit or two to be communicated, like a glance at a billboard, concise but compelling to get people to stop. PLANNING: think the whole process through, a month before and after. How to invite people, schedule appointments, tailor your website to the show, have info for them to take, create demonstrations, etc. DURING: Walk the show with an eye towards finding other companies there with whom you can partner or otherwise do business. POST-SHOW: Plan post-show communication to those who did & did not visit you. Plan social media posts with relevant keywords, follow-up emails, direct mails, newsletters and more.

Hey fellow marketers, remember when preparing for a trade show, think of it like assembling your own Avengers team. What's your mission? Gathering leads, closing deals, or building networks? Keep track of your achievements – be it through the number of Bat-signals (I mean, business cards) you collect, or the feedback you receive. My years in digital marketing, peppered with my love for Star Wars and Marvel, taught me the importance of having a game plan. It's like using the Force wisely! Let's chat more about it.

CRM platforms are developing quickly with their features becoming easier to utilise and integrate among businesses. They streamline trade show lead management by centralising and storing the lead management, segmenting the data, providing analysis and reporting and by integrating with other marketing distribution tools.

Holding meetings at shows is a huge measure of success. But so much information gets lost when it isn't transferred to the CRM as soon as possible. Most CRMs have an app so you can write your notes directly into the system or copy notes into the app immediately afterward. The key is setting up a process before the show begins so everyone is on the same page on gathering and sharing information consistently.

One useful and simple piece of tech is the lead scanner. It’s a method of data-collection that helps salespeople collect and store simple data about the people they talk with. The lead scanner comes in the form of a phone app. You scan the QR codes on attendee registration badges.? There’s no need to collect and keep track of business cards. All the info is stored right on your phone and can even be exported directly to an address book or email database.

Here are my thoughts.... 1)If you are new to the market a trade show can be great exposure. 2) It always seems to help drive people to your booth either by having a great giveaway or a trade show only sale. 3) I often find it better not to have a booth but to visit the other vendors at the show. This way you can check out the competition and talk to the people you really want to talk to. 4) If you are collecting business cards or gathering people's information, make sure you make a note on the business card or take notes, so you know which people are really interested and to follow up with first!

Go High-Tech to Enhance Your Lead Generation Process Ask any trade show booth sales person what the hardest aspect of their job is, and they’ll probably say it’s that their work is like cold-calling. They have only a few seconds to engage passers-by strongly enough that they’re willing to stop, even for a moment. Thanks to the development of new lead-generation tools and software, salespeople can access qualifying information much more easily. Lead generation is now more streamlined and efficient than was previously possible.

Here is what NOT to do. Do NOT send out an email blast to all the contacts you get from the show thanking them for coming to your booth IF THEY DIDN'T COME TO YOUR BOOTH! Work with your MOPS team and classify people appropriately to follow up correctly. There is NO quicker way to get people to opt out than to show them you aren't paying attention.

This post is right on. Sending a generic communication to booth visitors is not the way to get positive results. Timely, personalized communication based on interaction you had at the booth if possible will set this new relationship off on the right foot.

Attendees visit so many booths during a trade show that it can sometimes be hard to differentiate between them once they're home. I'm a big fan of taking a booth staff picture at the booth at the start of the show and then using it in the post-show e-mail to booth visitors to jog their memories. I also highly recommend including a call to action that is relevant to the content provided at the show. Great way to show attendees that your company wants to help them continue learning.

Always personalize your communication. It might take more time but the outcome is more effective. Also be sure to maintain the relationships. This could be a friendly conversation or sharing useful information.

Given the inundation of emails prospects receive regularly and following a trade show, employing alternative means can prove more impactful. Personalized handwritten notes or a brief phone call can exhibit a distinct and memorable touch. Subsequently, reinforcing these interactions through periodic email follow-ups can sustain and fortify the established rapport.

Be honest. What was the quality of leads like? Did you follow up and get a whole heap of rejections? This then will question whether the qualification of those leads was good enough, providing learning and training opportunities for the future.

Absolutely, assessing whether you met your goals is vital for trade show success. If not, it's a learning opportunity to refine your strategy for future events. Achieving your goals? Great, but aim to surpass them next time. Setting clear, defined objectives is key; without them, you risk inefficient spending with each show. Remember, continuous improvement is essential in the dynamic environment of trade shows. So check out the kpis mentioned by @Uwe Seebacher and start measuring your success.

Making marketing measurable is one of the hot topics since 2022 and will remain high on the agenda in the context of Data-driven Management (Seebacher & Garritz, 2021). Especially for trade shows transparency and performance monitoring is key due to the fact that trade shows normally do represent a significant cost and budget factor. This will always attract special attention from management. Key performance indicators can be used: - Number of pre-arranged meetings per Sales Rep. - Leads per Sales Rep. (SR) - Costs per Lead overall - Average deal-size per lead - Cost-Lead-Volume-Ratio - Level of qual./quant. data completion ratio per SR - satisfaction level of SR with trade show organization These KPIs do provide a good starting point.

This is perhaps the most important step. In the hustle and bustle of attending and then leaving trade shows, it's easy to forget to check people out, their profile and background. You'll often be surprised!

It is about interaction automation. Sales, marketing and communication should use one common Interaction Technology Stack (InTechStack, Seebacher 2022) in order to be able to collect, evaluate and interpret all data 360 degree but also interact orchestrated with all different client groups. This will lead to the development of a sound interaction intelligence on what kind of contents in what kind of interaction arenas in what kind of form at what time to convert best. Applying the latest findings in the context of conversation-rate-optimization (CRO, Trummer 2023) will then ensure to always maximize the conversation at each touchpoint in regard to the defined call-to-action.

Staying top of mind is more difficult than ever. Maybe I’m a dinosaur but I still like getting physical cards. I organize them by relationship type and try to follow up in the way that makes sense. Maybe we discussed a specific project or product that I need help or coverage on. I reach back out and make sure some other brand doesn’t get my oxygen.

I believe that you need to stay visible. Consistency and relevance are key when engaging leads post-trade show. Tailor your approach based on their interests and behavior to increase the likelihood of conversion. Regular Updates: about your company, new products, or industry news. Event Invitations: Invite them to upcoming events or webinars, demonstrating your commitment to an ongoing relationship.

The distinction between nurturing sales leads and becoming an annoyance lies in the approach and timing of communication. Nurturing involves providing valuable, relevant information at appropriate intervals, understanding the prospect's needs, and building a relationship based on trust. This approach fosters engagement and keeps the brand top-of-mind without overwhelming the lead. On the other hand, becoming an annoyance typically results from excessive, untimely, or irrelevant communication. Bombarding leads with constant messages, especially those lacking personalization or value, can quickly turn a potential customer away. It's crucial to strike a balance between maintaining a presence and respecting the lead's preferences.

Adding activities into your CRM to remind you to send a follow up email, or quick call, will help keep you top of mind. Like we've heard it in various trainings, it often takes a minimum of 10 interactions before a sale. Don't look at it as keeping score or checking a box of a checklist, but as a habit you should consider cultivating to maintain and increase connection with a prospect.

How about exploring to incorporate RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) technology for seamless lead retrieval? Attendees wear RFID badges, enabling quick information exchange. This unconventional approach can enhance efficiency in collecting and managing data, providing a tech-forward edge at trade shows.

Have a Lead Captain. The number of leads not followed up from a trade show is staggering. Why? One reason is a lack of accountability. There is a trust from management that 'it is all under control' but there needs to be pressure on someone to report back. A Lead Captain can do this to ensure all leads are getting attention and to report on the successes and the bottlenecks. This will also help with planning for the future. If there were too many dead leads, did you qualify them properly, etc?

Transforming the process of collecting & following up with sales leads into a fun & engaging experience can significantly boost motivation & productivity within the sales team. Introduce friendly competitions or gamification elements to the lead collection process. Consider implementing rewards, such as recognition, small incentives, or team celebrations, for achieving certain milestones in lead generation. Incorporate humor & creativity in communications to make the follow-up process enjoyable for both the sales team & the leads. By infusing an element of enjoyment into these tasks, the team is likely to approach lead gen & followup with increased enthusiasm & energy, ultimately contributing to a more positive & successful environment.

Manage New Leads Trade show success is not solely about the number of leads generated. Leads don’t automatically turn into sales, and often these new relationships are nurtured for months or longer before the first sale is made. In the meantime, leads must be managed carefully to make sure they don’t slip off your radar. For instance: Rank leads in terms of qualification, and in terms of follow-up priority. There should be significant overlap between these two rankings, but the lists will differ somewhat depending on your goals. Maintain a tracking system, so you can continue to identify lead sources as they move through the sales process. This is important for gauging the success of the shows you attend and other lead-generation efforts.

Budget and resources permitting, a dedicated person responsible for tracking footfall and interactions will be more accurate than expecting busy sales staff to do it while talking to interested parties. For example, a dedicated person with a clicker can measure footfall, collect visitor data, guide visitors to enter contact details into a CRM, while the sales team focus on REALLY interested parties. The resource acts as a funnel, and gather more data more accurately than would otherwise be achievable.