The success or failure of a show can be determined in a number of ways. Once you identify your reasons for exhibiting and know what you want to accomplish, there are many things you can do besides collect leads and sell.
Find out what visitors think of your product and services. If several people tell you they love your product because of x, or would really like to see y, write it down. New products and services have been created because of customer feedback.
Keep track of most frequently asked questions. You may need to make adjustments to your marketing materials if people don’t understand how your product works or don’t have a clear understanding of what your company does.
Check out your competition. A quick visit to their booth can reveal a lot
of things. How are they positioning themselves with marketing materials and booth properties? Which products and/or services are they featuring?
Do they have a lot of traffic in their booth? Were their senior executives at the show?
Get a sense of industry issues. What are your industry’s leaders talking
Is new legislation affecting business in your industry? Are visitors and exhibitors concerned about the same things?
Entertain your big customers. Trade shows are usually held in or around big cities. Find out what your customers enjoy doing and get a sense of what’s happening around town. Even if you have one opportunity to take out a big customer, it’s worth the effort. People tend to open up more on “neutral turf.” They may provide you with some feedback you wouldn’t normally get in an office environment.
For more information, go to Conventions.net.