Measuring Trade Show Success: Where to Start

What exactly are we measuring and how do we measure it? 

This is the first question that many marketing teams find themselves asking when the decision to exhibit at a trade show is made. However, in order to accurately measure something you have to know what it is that you want to measure in the first place. 

Having concrete objectives and outcomes for your exhibition experience is the very first step in being able to accurately measure ROI. But what exactly do you measure and why? How confident can you be that these metrics paint a full picture of the value that the show has brought to your company? 

In this blog, we’ll review best practices for measuring trade show success and discuss the key metrics that marketing teams should be focusing on. 

Set Crystal Clear Goals 

Generate Leads

Perhaps lead generation is your primary goal of attending a trade show exhibition. The next step would be to have a deeper conversation with your team to pin down exactly what a “lead” would look like for your company based on the show you’re attending, the product you’re spotlighting, and the booth you’re exhibiting. 

Is a lead simply anyone who’s badge gets scanned at your booth or are you interested in generating more qualified leads for your sales team? If you’re interested in the latter it would be a good idea to train your booth staff on qualifying questions to ask attendees to assist with lead segmentation. 

Having these conversations up front will allow your team at the trade show to take active steps in only collecting the kinds of leads that you’re targeting. This will streamline your trade show operations and help you take the first step in determining your ROI. 

Tracking Engagement

Now, let’s say your organization is primarily interested in booth traffic and the number of demos performed. You could just track the raw number of people who visited your booth along with the number of demos your staff performed but that wouldn’t give you any real insight. The use of questionnaires and exit surveys would go a long way in capturing actionable insights.   

If providing demos, you should take the extra step to try and measure client engagement with the product. Use in booth questionnaires to get a sense of how attendees are engaging with products and utilize exit surveys to measure how much a client enjoyed a product demo or is likely to suggest a product to a friend this could be a good tool in your toolbelt.

The “Brand Awareness” Problem

One of the most popular goals that companies have for a trade show is to increase brand awareness. While this is a worthwhile goal to have it does create a conundrum when it comes to measuring the success of a show. How exactly does one measure the amount of brand awareness generated? Additionally, even if you found a way to measure brand awareness, how do you go about assigning real value to it? 

There is no one size fits all answer to this question. If your organization’s goal is raising brand awareness you would be served well to try and use some of the previously discussed tangible metrics to evaluate brand awareness. 

Perhaps your in booth questionnaire or exit survey could include questions about how attendees feel about your brand or likelihood to engage with you further. Tying abstract ideas like brand awareness to concrete metrics that can be acted upon is step one for any marketing team. 

Setting clear goals and objectives for a show should involve team members from multiple departments and not just the marketing team. Having as many perspectives involved in the brainstorming session as possible is key. Having a sense of what each internal team wants to actually get out of exhibiting at a show will provide the meat and potatoes of the metrics you’ll most want to pay attention to. 

Prioritize Data Gathering and Analysis

Metrics provide companies with benchmarks they can use to compare their efforts at each trade show they attend. This documentation provides a tangible way of figuring out what works and doesn’t work. Tracking stats gives you the flexibility to lean into what does work and stop wasting time and resources on what isn’t working. 

Many marketing teams don’t feel that they have the time to do this or fail to analyze data after the show. This is the biggest mistake that an organization can make the first time that they exhibit. There is a lot that goes into a successful trade show exhibit, from deciding on which shows to attend to settling on a booth design the process can feel overwhelming.

However, not losing sight of your main goals during each step of the process is essential. Make collecting and analyzing data a priority at the outset. Each step of the way leading up to the show, the marketing team should revisit this theme and make sure that data collection doesn’t fall through the cracks. 

Having a dedicated team member to own and manage this process would go a long way in ensuring that it’s not neglected as the show draws near and everyone gets busy.  

The collection and evaluation of trade show data is worth its weight in gold. If it’s made a priority at the beginning of the process and communicated to the team throughout then it will remain a priority. It’s as simple as that. 

Utilize Technology

Badge scanners

Badge scanners offer a quick and efficient way to capture leads at trade show exhibitions by instantly collecting attendee information with a simple scan. This technology streamlines the lead generation process, allowing exhibitors to gather accurate and comprehensive data without the need for manual entry or paperwork. 

For marketing teams, the benefits are significant: it enables real-time tracking of potential clients, facilitates immediate follow-up communications, and provides valuable insights into attendee demographics and behavior. 

This data can be easily integrated into CRM systems, enhancing overall marketing strategies and improving the return on investment for trade show participation.

Lead capture and qualification software

Utilizing software that was specifically designed for trade show lead capture and qualification is a good way to streamline the lead generation process. You may also get fresh ideas of different information to capture that you hadn’t previously been aware of. 

For instance, perhaps your trade show team was simply capturing contact information for a nurture campaign without also documenting each leads role within an organization. This added level of business intelligence could assist with segmenting leads based on job duties, leading to a more personalized and custom outreach by the sales team that will eventually be working the lead. 

Lead capture software, whether it be an out the box solution purchased from a third party or an internal proprietary system designed specifically for your organization’s use case, can be a game changer when it comes to collecting meaningful data from your trade show experience. 

Closing Thoughts

Setting crystal clear goals is a fundamental step in measuring trade show success. Without defined objectives, it’s nearly impossible to evaluate the effectiveness of an exhibition strategy. Goals can range from increasing brand awareness to generating a specific number of qualified leads or even launching a new product. 

By establishing measurable targets, companies can focus their efforts on achieving these outcomes and have a benchmark against which to assess their performance. This clarity not only guides the design and execution of the trade show booth but also aligns the team’s efforts towards a common purpose, ensuring that every action taken at the event serves a strategic intent.

Making data collection and analysis a priority is crucial for understanding the real impact of a trade show presence. Gathering data on metrics such as foot traffic, lead conversions, and engagement levels provides concrete evidence of how well the goals are being met. 

By analyzing this data, companies can identify what worked and what didn’t, enabling them to refine their approach for future events. Whether it’s through attendee surveys, badge scanners, or tracking social media interactions, the insights gained from data collection can inform decisions that enhance the effectiveness of trade show participation, ultimately leading to better results.

Utilizing technology is another essential task in measuring trade show success. Today’s trade show environment offers a wide array of technological tools, from lead capture apps to advanced analytics platforms, that can streamline the data collection process and provide deeper insights into attendee behavior. 

Technology also allows for real-time tracking and reporting, giving companies the ability to adjust their strategies on the fly during the event. By leveraging these tools, businesses can maximize their efficiency, improve their ability to engage with attendees, and gain a more comprehensive understanding of their trade show performance.

InterGlobal Exhibits (IGE) is a leader in creating custom trade show booths that not only stand out but also support companies in achieving their trade show goals. With decades of experience and a commitment to innovation, IGE offers no-risk, no-cost consultations that include detailed 3D renderings and cost estimates. 

Whether a company is looking to make a bold statement or gather invaluable data, IGE’s expert team is dedicated to helping exhibitors succeed at trade shows with designs tailored to their specific needs and objectives.