Networking at Events: Elevating Connections Beyond Handshakes

When attending trade shows, it's essential to recognize that the connections you make are not just another business card in your collection; they are the lifeblood of your sales pipeline. The key is to move beyond simple pleasantries and truly engage with attendees. 

Let’s explore the strategies to help you make the most of your in-booth conversations. 

Laying the Foundation: Pre-Show and Post-Show Engagement 
Engagement doesn't start when the trade show begins; it starts long before and continues afterward. To lay the foundation for meaningful conversations, consider the following steps:

1. Invite Your Attendees: Personal invitations have a significant impact on driving attendance. Extend personalized invites to contacts within your target audience, sharing the details of your exhibit and giving them a compelling reason to stop by your booth.

2. Plan One-on-One Meetings: Quality over quantity is essential when it comes to meetings. Schedule one-on-one meetings with high-quality attendees and provide them with exclusive content, a sneak peek into a new product launch, or a chance to win a giveaway.

3. Craft Key Brand Messages: Your brand story and key messaging are the foundation of your conversations. Develop messages that communicate the purpose of your exhibit presence, your product and service offerings, and the latest developments in your brand. Captivate your audience with compelling narratives that leave a lasting impression.

4. Train Booth Staff and Sales Team: To ensure seamless engagement before, during, and after the trade show, provide thorough training to your booth staff and sales team. Focus on helping them understand your trade show objectives and brand story. Equip them with knowledge of your products and services so they can guide attendees through the booth experience.

5. Pinpoint Attendee Needs: Encourage your staff to ask targeted questions to identify attendees' pain points and challenges. Gathering insights will help you understand where your products and services can make a difference and qualify leads effectively. Measure conversations by tracking how much time attendees spend in your exhibit, what they show the most interest in, noting the most promising contacts, and those who return to your booth. This is easily done with the help of digital tools, such as a universal lead capture system.

6. Open-Ended Conversations: Ignite interest by starting conversations with powerful, open-ended questions. Ask attendees about their reasons for attending the show, their current interests, and what they are looking for. Encourage them to share their needs and challenges. I like to ask what is your “Wouldn’t it be great if”, which will help you align your products and offerings with their requirements.

Continuing the Conversation: Post-Show Engagement 
The trade show may end, but the conversation shouldn't. Developing a post-show strategy is essential to maintaining engagement with attendees. Consider the following:  

• Customize Follow-Ups: Based on the conversations and data collected at the trade show, customize your follow-ups with attendees. Personalize your communications to show that you remember their specific needs and challenges. This approach will nurture high-quality leads and increase the chances of converting them into sales opportunities.  

• Align with your Team: Share the exhibit experience and the conversations that took place with your sales, marketing, and product teams. This alignment will help them seamlessly continue the dialogue, preventing the need to start from scratch. By providing the necessary context, your team can effectively follow up and build upon the foundation established at the trade show.

Remember, engagement at trade shows goes beyond simple handshakes. It requires a strategic and integrated approach that starts before the trade show, continues during the event, and extends afterward. By implementing these strategies and utilizing the right tools, you can create meaningful connections with attendees and maximize the return on investment from your trade show participation.

So, when attending your next trade show, remember it's not just a handshake – it's engagement.