1 You have set your goals and objectives of your exhibition experience.
2 You have developed a strategic content marketing plan.
3 Now it is time to connect with your prospects.
An exhibition or trade show offers your business an unprecedented opportunity, when else would you be able to get a large quantity of your target market in the same room at the same time.
Before the exhibition or show even starts you should start to build relationships and connections with these prospects. Take advantage of registered exhibition attendees. Use the registered attendee list to reach out to prospective customers and existing clients.
A detailed attendee list will give you a breakdown of the titles and roles of attendees, company names, and individual contact information. The opportunities for exhibition success are endless, an registered attendee list is a major resource.
How to get the Registered Attendee List:
Gaining access to the list of attendees is dependent on the show. Some exhibition organisers provide the attendees list to exhibitors, some allow exhibitors to purchase the list etc.
The first step is to check with the exhibition organisers on their policy for collecting and sharing attendee’s information. If they are willing to share the registered guests contact details with you, it is the perfect start to connecting with the attendees. How to engage them, is discussed further in this article.
If the show organisers do not supply the registered attendees contacts as part of your exhibition package, the list may be able to be purchased. You are already investing a considerable amount of money and time into exhibiting; you should do everything possible to maximize the value of that investment. We would recommend spending a little extra and purchase the full attendee list.
Often exhibition organisers only supply the registered attendees list to exhibitors who sponsor the exhibition. Therefore, it may be viable for your brand to consider sponsorship opportunities to achieve increased marketing and attendee engagement.
Be wary of external companies who claim to be able to sell you a complete attendee list for the show you are attending. In most cases this data is out of date and unreliable. Always rely on the official show organisers for the most up to date and correct attendee lists.
Source: GetGist
How to use the Registered Exhibition Attendees List:
Once you have obtained the attendee list, you must be strategic is how you use the data.
Qualify and Segment:
While it may be convenient and easy to send a generic marketing email to the whole registered attendee list, this is not the best approach.
Not everyone on the registered attendee list are your target market. To achieve the most from the list, qualify all the attendees and segment the data.
Start by defining your audience within the whole show attendee list. Use the data available to see if you can spot your ideal customer. Take the time to analyze and segment attendees based on your buyer personas.
Send each segment tailored messages including connecting on social media, through advertising, email, or even picking up the phone. Be sure to include worthwhile resources that are relevant; share blog posts, tips, videos etc. A segmented and tailored approach will increase your engagement with the attendees and produce better results.
A strategic, tailored and segmented pre show marketing approach may take more time and careful consideration, however it filters through the noise for which events are infamous for.
Source: Super Office
Research data to help plan:
Thoroughly researching and analyzing the registered attendee list will provide you with valuable insights that you can take advantage of.
They’ll provide a detailed look into the types of attendees at the exhibition or trade show. These details can help you prepare for the event in a variety of ways. It may help you tailor your exhibition stand messaging, help you focus your collateral towards a certain buyer persona or even assist in identifying interactive activities that would work on your stand.
Remember, the more you know, the easier it is to convert on the exhibition floor.
Source: Step Change Blog
Current Customers:
Exhibitions are the perfect time to improve relationships with existing clients and leads who have shown interest in wanting to do business with you in the past. Current customers are also your easiest sell and source for referrals. Check the attendee list for current customers and use this to your advantage.
Pre-arrange meetings, dinner events or loyalty programs throughout the exhibition to help maintain and enhance your relationship with your current clients.
We will discuss more about connecting with you current clients in our next article.