Measure Your Success: How to Design a Data-Driven Trade Show Strategy
Whether your company is in the technology, financial, manufacturing, or construction industry, trade shows are an incredible way to expand your business. Trade shows allow your team to connect with new customers, learn from experts, and build relationships with industry professionals.
Trade shows require time and resources, so developing a measurable, data-driven approach is the key to getting a worthwhile return on this investment. Eye-catching exhibit booth designs with digital enhancements, universal lead capture tools, and customizable features can help you optimize your company’s trade show strategy and make the most of the experience. Ready to develop a data-driven trade show strategy? Get started with these three tips.
Establish Your Goals
Running a marathon starts with a consistent training schedule. Building up your vocabulary is the first step to becoming fluent in a new language. Just like running that first mile or learning your first 100 words, a successful trade show starts with the right measurable, identifiable goals.
Key performance indicators, or KPIs, can help your company understand and refine your trade show strategy. Data points such as the number of product demos your team completes, the amount of traffic your booth sees, and the number of leads your team generates are all examples of KPIs. To effectively measure these KPIs, choose a booth design with physical and digital activations that help you track these data points.
Create an Interactive Layout
Once you’ve determined the measurable goals your company wants to track, the next step to creating a data-driven strategy is designing an exhibit that helps you achieve those goals. The right interactive layout does more than just explain what your company offers—a successful booth design for trade show exhibitors should take attendees on a journey.
The right digital features, from LED screens to interactive games, can help draw people into your booth. A well-trained staff and sales team should be ready to guide attendees through your exhibit, ask insightful questions, and create opportunities for follow-up. Finally, clear, consistent branding on high-quality fabric graphics can help attendees remember your company and help your team follow up with promising leads.
Reflect on the Trade Show with Data Analysis Tools
Now that your team has implemented your new trade show strategy, it’s time to use the data you’ve gathered to refine your strategy. Like stretching after a run or reviewing your notes after a meeting, reflecting on your company’s trade show experience is essential for progress.
Luckily, when you design your exhibit and strategy with a trusted trade show experience partner, you can refine your strategy with data analysis tools and resources. By analyzing your return on investment, return on objectives, and other useful metrics, your company can pivot and adapt your trade show strategy as needed.
