Six Steps to Lead Generation at Exhibitions

Exhibiting at exhibitions takes a significant investment and lead generation is often a way in which companies measure their success. Here, we reveal some top tips of the trade to ensure you make the most of your investment.

Typically in the build up to the show, exhibiting companies run advertisements or advertorials in target publications and pre-show event guides. The pre-show guides are excellent for explaining in detail what you are presenting especially if you are launching a new product or service. However, there may be a selection of guides to choose from so it's advisable to check readership figures against the costs.

For bigger and more high profile events, companies often design a pre-event mailer that provides an introduction to the products that are being shown and gives details of the times and content of any additional exhibition events you may be hosting such as seminar sessions or product launches. Working with the exhibition organisers, you can distribute this flyer to pre-registered delegates to draw attention to your presence at the event. Additionally send or email the mailer to your prospect and client base to raise your profile - it's an excellent way to stay in touch.

The skills of the team on the stand determine your success in collecting leads. It is therefore essential that all team members have the right skills (and enthusiasm) to attract enquiries and manage visiting delegates. Make sure they have been properly briefed as to what to wear and what is expected of them prior to the exhibition. Also it is advisable to prepare a realistic rota for the time people spend on the stand and which takes into account the busy times.

Competitions are excellent for collecting huge quantities of business cards – but many companies prefer to collect leads personally with an exhibition enquiry form. This allows them to qualify delegates with the correct business profile for their product offerings. This, in turn, reduces the number of unsuitable contacts that would require following up immediately after the show. Consider having a novelty feature on your stand which relates to your product or service offering to attract delegates to your stand – remember however to promote this in your pre-event publicity

Whilst enquiry forms are traditional, scanners provide an excellent alternative. They are now more reliable than in the past and the service is much faster with soft copies of leads available the next day.

Finally, leads must be processed as fast as possible since competitors are likely to have the same names. It is always important to ensure the appropriate resources and processes are in place before the event so they are ready for action during or immediately following the show.

Copyright Evolution Events 2005

Enquiry form Name*: Postcode: Email*: Company: Telephone*: Your Project Details*: Select a region*: East Anglia East Midlands London North East North West Scotland South East South West Wales West Midlands * required field