How to Generate Qualified Trade Show Leads

Face-to-face marketing events are great opportunities to meet prospects, engage with industry professionals and expand your reach, but they’re also quite costly. In fact, trade shows consume a large percentage of offline marketing budgets. With this in mind, it’s important to get the biggest return from your investment. 

The key to getting the most ROI from your trade show events is to generate qualified leads. Below are some tips on how to generate leads at trade shows to help grow your business. 

Pick the Right Trade Shows 

One of the most important aspects of exhibiting at a trade show is choosing the right shows to participate in. Once you have a few events in mind, pick the best option by doing your research. Here are some things to look for. 

• Demographics. What type of people attend the trade show? Do they fit your target audience? 
• History. Research the history of the trade show. Established trade shows tend to have more PR and a bigger attendance. However, newer trade shows are sometimes less expensive and less competitive to get into.
• Publicity. How well is the trade show publicized? Obviously, the more publicity an event receives, the more likely it is to attract vendors, exhibitors and attendees. 
• Attendance. Is the show increasing in attendees and exhibitors year over year? If attendance is declining, you may not want to invest in the show. 

Establish Goals and Objectives 

Another aspect to consider is how well your goals and objectives align with the trade show. For example, if your goal is to generate leads and increase sales, the trade show you attend should have attendees that fit your target audience. Other common trade show goals include boosting brand awareness and launching a new product or service. Also, your trade show goals and objectives should support your larger business goals. 

Select Your Booth Location and Design 

Your booth design and location also impact the quality of leads you bring in. It takes time to build a trade show display, so start working early with a booth design company. IGE specializes in the design and fabrication of trade show exhibits, corporate events and retail installations. We can cover every aspect of trade show exhibition – design and fabrication, installation and dismantling, storage and more. 

As for location, don’t wait on this, especially if you’re attending a popular show. Early birds get the best spaces – and sometimes discounted rates as well. Choose a spot that is visible and gets lots of traffic so that people will naturally come your way. 

Market Your Event Before, During and After 

You should let your audience know in advance that you’re attending the trade show. This way, they have time to make arrangements to visit you. Trade show attendees must choose their events wisely, too! To entice visitors to your booth, give away branded swag, schedule product demonstrations and more. 

During the show, consider live streaming your product launches to get people involved. You can also update your social media profiles with information on the event. Lastly, connect with prospects and customers after the trade show. Thank them for visiting you, remind them of your offerings and give them multiple ways to contact you. 

Following these tips will help you get more qualified leads from your event. Don’t forget to have a reliable method to collect lead information, such as a lead capture app. Once you collect this info, your sales team can upload it to your CRM and you can nurture leads through the funnel. To build a lead-driven booth exhibit for your business, contact IGE today.