Apr 09, 2015With RFID Journal LIVE! less than a week away, I would like to share a few tips on how to ensure that you get the most out of your exhibition at the event. Hopefully, by now, you have read my previous blog, How to Maximize Your Trade Show Investment, and have put some of those suggestions into practice leading up to the conference.
If you've been hard at work inviting prospects to meet you at the event and promoting your participation—great job, but don't stop now! You can't expect to just set up your booth and have those qualified leads arrive with a purchase order in hand.
1. Send Out Follow-up E-mails
If you have sent out invitations to prospects, now is the time to send follow-up e-mails that include your booth number, and to let them know you look forward to seeing them at the event.
2. Set Up Appointments
For hot leads, you will want to take it a step further by inviting them to set up a time to meet during the conference. This will ensure that you do not miss an opportunity by not being available when a prospect stops by your booth.
We've made it easy for you to contact registered LIVE! attendees via RFID Connect, our virtual community and event mobile app. In just a few simple steps, you can send a note to a prospect inviting him or her to your booth. Here's how:
• View the list of companies attending the event and jot down the names of the businesses for which you have potential solutions.
• Log in at rfidconnect.com and choose "LIVE! 2015" from the event's drop-down menu on the top left.
• Go to the event's dashboard and select "Attendees" from the search-engine options, and then type in the name of the company for which you believe you have a solution.
• Click on that person's name and then on "Send them an e-mail" in the box to the right of his or her profile.
To prevent your message from looking like spam, it's important that you do not send out a generic promotional e-mail, but rather customize your message to include the attendee's name and why that person should take time to visit you at the event. Information about how your solution can help the attendee's company, as well as any demonstrations you may be conducting and your booth number, should be included in the message.
3. Participate in Our Passport: Scan & Win Program
This popular program, designed to drive traffic to your booth, has been incorporated into the RFID Connect mobile app. Each exhibitor at LIVE! will receive a unique QR code. When an attendee visits your booth, that person can scan your QR code to win one of 300 prizes we are offering—including a grand-prize drawing for two Apple iPad Mini 3s. We will distribute your unique QR code prior to the exhibit hall opening on Wednesday, so be on the lookout for this packet at your booth before the show opens.
4. Use Social Media
Be sure to utilize social media to promote your participation before, during and after the event. You can include teasers, such as a countdown to the conference, a new product you will be revealing, pictures of your team setting up your booth, and so forth. Maximize your exposure by tagging the event on Facebook, and by using the #RFIDLIVE event hashtag on Twitter. This will help to ensure that your company is perceived as a savvy, active player in the market and at the event. If you won't have resources available to post updates while at LIVE!, there are many free tools available that will let you schedule posts ahead of time. Events are intended to be a little fun, so don't be afraid to show your company's personality in your posts.
5. Follow Up After the Event
It is critical to follow up with your leads within a week after the conference. If you miss this opportunity, you can bet that you will be behind the ball, as your competitors will have already jumped on it. Don't assume that your colleague will follow up with a lead—discuss with your team who will do what, so that no leads fall through the cracks. Again, don't just send a blanket follow-up e-mail. Make it personalized—and, if applicable, provide relevant content, such as a free white paper, links to resource pages on your website, an invitation to a webinar you are hosting, articles and so on. Or use this opportunity to set up a call (remember to lay out your objective in calling), as well as meeting dates and times.
These five simple steps will ensure that you have a successful exhibition, and we look forward to seeing them in practice next week in San Diego. Feel free to stop by RFID Journal's booth (940) if you have any questions, or to let us know how we can better serve you. Come share your experience with us, or simply stop by and say hello.
Sonja Valenta is RFID Journal's VP of marketing. For a free consultation about your RFID marketing strategy, e-mail marketing@rfidjournal.com.
