How Do You Know How Exhibitors Want to Engage?
Photo of an electric camper van taken at the Hershey, PA 2023 RV Show.
In response to this post, Tami Jo asked:
How do you articulate ROI for an exhibitor? How do you know what return they are looking for? Direct sales, lead generation, community development? What are the metrics to offer them in their decision-making so they can confidently invest in the booth fees and travel expenses?
I’ve been lucky to conduct some custom research with sponsors and exhibitors, and here is what I learned overall.
Larger companies that sell lower-priced products/services tend to exhibit for the branding. They want their brand to be top of mind at each buying decision. They want to know the profile of your attendees so they know they are exhibiting (i.e., branding) to the right audience. For these companies, the marketing department often leads the show effort. You may see booth staff sampling and demoing products.
Larger companies selling high-priced products/services exhibit to get leads. They want to connect with people who are actively in the buying process. They’ll also want to know about the profile of attendees, and they’ll want to know that a large volume of decision-makers are attending. For these companies, the sales department often leads the show effort. You may see booth staff demoing products.
Smaller companies selling lower-priced products might arrive with a booth of goods ready to sell. In this case, you might be working with the owner or other staff member. Smaller companies that sell higher-priced products and services are likely looking for leads. Like larger companies, they’ll want to see metrics on the attendee profile to know those decision-makers are in attendance.
Exhibitors love connecting with attendees in many ways, not just in the booth. Some would make great welcomers, and some can provide learning experiences. Your ideas to help attendees and exhibitors fall into natural conversations would be much appreciated. They’ll also love exposure to your broader community (people in your sphere who don’t attend.) I just read a great article from ASAE about creative sponsor and exhibitor ideas that will drive the ROI for exhibitors and add value to attendees.
How do you make a case for potential exhibitors to exhibit at your event? They will welcome this data:
Attendee demographics & psychographics
Your larger community demographics & psychographics
Attendance numbers
What makes the event unique for attendees and exhibitors? (Be sure to tell exhibitors about the experience you provide for them.)
Past exhibitor list
Past exhibitor demographics
Returning exhibitor ratio
You may have noticed that I prefaced some thoughts with the word “likely,” well, that’s because there are so many variations. There’s no one-size-fits-all for exhibitors and sponsors, so ask them about their goals in your sales calls. Take notes, and you’ll probably see patterns emerge over time. You can even do a debrief after your event to find out what points of value exhibitors and sponsors saw from your event.
