An estimated 13,000 trade shows take place in the US each year, with effective trade show lead retrieval being a priority for exhibitors attending these events. Lead retrieval is a crucial aspect of a trade show because it measures the event's success, enabling exhibitors to accurately calculate the return on investment (ROI) of their exhibitions.
Lead retrieval consists of capturing attendee data at live events. With that data, exhibitors can follow up to generate new leads. Many methods exist for collecting leads at trade shows, but traditional ones, such as collecting business cards with notes scribbled on the back, are often ineffective.
If you've been using the same methods year after year, it may be time to consider a new process to enhance your lead collection and follow-up. Lead retrieval that's built into an event's mobile app and integrates with the event management platform used to organize a trade show makes it easy for exhibitors to organize and manage leads.
Read on to learn how to improve lead retrieval at your next event.
Set Up Exhibitors for Success
When an exhibitor decides to go to a trade show, generating leads is typically their primary goal. Many exhibitors rely on business cards and notes to collect leads, but even though most attendees have these readily available, exchanging them at an event is often an ineffective lead-generation strategy.
One problem is that by the time that an exhibitor returns to the office, they may have trouble reading their notes or have forgotten the conversations that they had on the trade show floor. Some people suggest using a template to capture information about potential leads. While this may be a better approach than business cards, it still leaves much to be desired.
Instead, event organizers should strive to provide exhibitors with tools that facilitate lead retrieval and capture . A trade show lead retrieval app can streamline the process of organizing and managing leads for exhibitors, maximizing their opportunities for success.
Use a Lead Retrieval App
Time is at a premium during a trade show, making it difficult for exhibitors to manually document each interaction with attendees. Instead of dealing with an unwieldy stack of papers or business cards, a lead retrieval app enables exhibitors to scan the QR code on attendees' badges, improving the overall experience by facilitating the exchange of information. Exhibitors can capture and synchronize the data, leading to improved business outcomes. Using the app also makes it easier to calculate the ROI of event exhibitions.
Furthermore, a lead retrieval app simplifies collaboration between teams by centralizing the storage of attendee information and making it accessible for sharing among colleagues. It gives them a place to make notes on attendee engagement and access real-time reports on leads generated at an event, which they can download in Excel or view on the app.
Use Lead Tracking Software
Lead tracking software works with a lead retrieval app to enhance the trade show experience for exhibitors. It makes it easy for them to track, organize, and manage trade show leads.
This type of software also enables exhibitors to feed sales pipelines as they interact with attendees at the trade show. Coupled with a lead retrieval app, it facilitates the collection of leads, even at booths receiving hundreds or more visitors during a busy event.
Powerful lead tracking software enables exhibitors to immediately process leads using QR codes, eliminating the need to input that information later from business cards or notes taken at the trade show.
Moreover, exhibitors can view leads from the moment that they're captured because they're seamlessly integrated into the event app and management platform. Exhibitors can also use lead tracking software to customize questions, capture leads, and effortlessly follow up with attendees after the event.
Help Exhibitors Understand ROI
When a sponsor decides to attend your event, it means they believe that it'll be profitable for their brand. Every sponsor needs to justify their investment, and you can help them do so by providing them with tools that make it easy for them to measure their ROI.
Trade show lead retrieval tools enable exhibitors to see how many leads they've captured and quickly export it to their CRM for post-event engagement. These tools also make it easy to qualify and rate leads and take notes on interactions, ensuring that they can make the most of the information that they gathered during the trade show.
Final Thoughts
A crucial aspect of an event organizer's job is helping exhibitors increase their reach and earn more clients by providing them with software solutions that facilitate lead retrieval. Trade show lead retrieval apps make it easy to retrieve information from potential clients, bolstering opportunities to connect with them after the event.
By investing in the right lead retrieval app and software to facilitate interactions between exhibitors and attendees at a trade show, organizers can ensure that everyone has all the tools at their disposal for a successful event.
Here at Cadmium, we make it easy for event organizers to deliver seamless, memorable event experiences to attendees and manage speakers, exhibitors, and all their associated assets. To see how we can help you simplify your event organization, reach out to our expert team today!
