Category Archives: Attendance Tracking

An ever-expanding amount of commerce and business takes place remotely. More and more people and companies conduct their business online, from the convenience of their home or office. To some degree, this limits the value of face-to-face salesmanship that once dominated all aspects of business. Although more businesses than ever before derive a majority of their sales from online shoppers, traditional in-person sales are still relevant. The circumstances under which in-person sales are taking place, though, are changing.

For example, while an emerging business is more likely than ever to eschew traditional brick-and-mortar retail sales, trade shows and similar events are thriving. Perhaps this is because there is still a certain percentage of businesses and customers who feel the need to experience a product or service before purchasing it. Trade shows are also much more egalitarian than retail outlets; there are many less gatekeepers and barriers to entry that prevent someone with a good product from physically reaching out to their potential customers.

The Right Approach

Trade shows are further beneficial for businesses in that they provide a business with a pool of people who are predisposed to taking an interest in the product, as most trade shows are specific to a particular industry. In fact, trade shows are such an effective way of both selling and marketing that many normally aggressive small business owners and operators tend to rest on their laurels a bit in the presence of so much interest. To maximize the business growth potential of a trade show, businesses need to approach a trade show the same way they approach any potential business change or opportunity—with a focus on efficiency. Here are some ways to do so.

Planning Ahead

Planning ahead, with respect to a trade show, means planning ahead in multiple ways. In one sense, planning ahead means planning to maintain effective time management. At the beginning of a trade show, it can seem like there is an endless amount of time and opportunity to achieve sales and marketing outcomes, but that can be a mindset that leads to wasted effort. Perhaps the best way to manage time at a trade show is to first plan ahead with respect to the goals that one has. A business can come into a trade show with quantitative goals, such as number of sales or sales leads generated, or more qualitative goals, such as brand development or honing a presentation or pitch. Each business will have a unique set of desirable outcomes prior to a trade show, but as the adage goes, failing to plan is planning to fail.

Managing Expectations

How a business plans ahead is just as important as how much time it spends planning. As mentioned previously, a business should develop either quantitative goals, qualitative goals or a combination of the two. No matter the nature of a company’s goals, it is important to manage expectations prior to the start of a trade show. Many businesses set quantitative expectations too high, and become disappointed and lose energy when the sales goals are not met. In reality, certain businesses may be better advised to focus on more abstract goals such as networking, marketing and brand development that are harder to define but possibly more conducive to long-term, sustainable growth and success.

Having The Right Equipment

One reason trade shows have ironically maintained and even grown their popularity in the digital age is the increasing prevalence of technology at the events. In order to get the most out of a trade show, a business can invest in a tradeshow scanner that makes it easier to scan barcoded trade show badges and track the leads that are generated at the event. Not only does this aid in time management on the day of the show, it simplifies the crucial process of following up after the show concludes.

The importance of trade shows for many businesses is well understood. Especially for small and new businesses, trade shows present an opportunity to develop the business in several crucial ways. Most obviously, trade shows are an opportunity to grow a business by increasing sales; perhaps more beneficial in the long-term, however, is the potential to develop a company’s brand and further identify and cultivate a consistent customer base.

Many people who attend trade shows do so on behalf of retailers or stores who are looking to build their own business by identifying products that would be a good fit for their own brands and product lines. Lost in the hub of commerce that exists at a trade show is the host of the event itself. The buying, selling and networking that goes on at these shows does not take place in a vacuum; an organization responsible for the venue and all other logistical and organizational aspects is required. Trade show hosts may be the organization in control of a venue itself, such as a convention center, or a show may be hosted by a third-party organization.

The economic implications for trade show vendors and attendees are obvious and simplistic; trade show hosts, however, need to be conscious of the entire event’s financial context. Often, creative measures need to be taken to maximize trade show revenue and ensure that a show remains economically viable so it can remain on the calendar and be consistently counted on by businesses. Here are some ways that trade show hosts maximize revenue by selling sponsorship of the event.

Badges

Trade show vendors and attendees are often equipped with barcoded badges. Using a specialty tradeshow badge scanner, these badges are scanned and information about a particular individual or company can be easily stored and accessed at a later date. Trade show badges and scanners are increasingly popular as they have made networking at the event more efficient and organized than ever before. As a result of their ubiquity, many event organizers choose to sell sponsorship that includes advertising on these badges. As trade show vendors scan the badges of potential customers and attendees scan the badges of products and services that pique their interest, any advertising on the badges is certain to be noticed and provide a good return on investment for sponsors.

Check-In

The often-hectic trade show check-in process is another potential source of revenue for the event. Even the most efficient, high-tech process is prone to situations where a lot of attendees are crowded into one area of the event space. While this is may be a necessary drawback of a well-attended trade show, it is an opportunity for organizers to sell advertising space around the physical check-in area. As events increasingly automate the check-in process, valuable advertising can still be sold on the mobile check-in screens that are guaranteed to be seen by all attendees.

Charging Stations

Good advertising can move people in a certain direction to a certain location, but it can also simply follow people where they are already headed. As trade show check-in becomes automated, some advertisers will still look to have a presence in the physical event space. Event organizers can capitalize on this by creating centralized charging stations and selling advertisements in and around the area. All of the mobile devices like laptops, smartphones and badge scanners that are a must for modern trade show attendees and vendors will need to be charged, and a charging station meets this need and creates a valuable advertising opportunity.

Trade shows are an exciting experience for businesses, especially new businesses still in their early stages of operation. Trade shows are an opportunity for fledgling businesses to develop their brand, generate leads, acquire new customers, make sales and generally grow their business. While the trade show experience can be exciting and full of optimism, it can also be a highly stressful event. The stress generated by trade shows is due to how critical they can be to the long term success of a business, particularly a small business that cannot afford many missteps in an increasingly competitive economy. One way to limit the stress involved in a trade show is for a business to have all of the equipment it needs well in advance of the day of the event. Having all of their ducks in a row can provide businesses with much needed peace of mind and free up valuable time and resources to focus on presentation. When it comes to trade show equipment, the actual products they intend to sell or props they intend to use in their service demonstrations are the first things that come to mind. There are many smaller items, however, that can contribute to the overall success of a trade show experience. Here is a look at the more subtle items that can help businesses leave a good impression with prospective customers and clients at a trade show.

Office Supplies

While more and more business is being done electronically, including networking and exchanging contact information, as well, there is still much to be said for having a stock of office supplies handy at a trade show. One never knows when a pair of scissors, extra writing utensils, a stapler or paper clips will make an unexpected difference in a customer interaction or in a last-second adjustment to presentation materials or informational handouts. Again, the peace of mind that comes with being prepared is often enough to have a significant, positive effect on a business owner’s overall trade show mindset.

Tech

Businesses in most industries are now expected to have at least some technological fluency. Demonstrating this tech savvy at a trade show can have a positive effect on a presentation and perception amongst other trade show attendees. One piece of tech equipment that comes in handy at a trade show is a digital camera. Of course, most smart phones are equipped with most of the features of a digital camera, but there is still a special quality involved in an actual camera. Not only can a camera film a company’s presentation, but it can also be used to take photos with customers and other attendees at the event. Both the presentation and the photos are potentially valuable, engaging content that can be posted to social media sites after the trade show. A tradeshow badge scanner is also a handy piece of equipment. Badge scanners can be used to scan the barcoded badges that many trade shows provide their attendees; their information is then stored, either by the scanner or by a software program it is synched to, for easy access after the trade show. Tradeshow badge scanners make the process of generating leads, tracking leads and following up after a trade show much more simple and efficient.

Other Items To Consider

Things like speakers, cleaning products, tool kits and aromatherapy products are also good options for the trade show exhibitor who wants to be thoroughly prepared. It is important to think of the trade show within the context of an overall business plan. Any item that will streamline the process on the day of the trade show or the follow-up process in the aftermath of the trade show might be considered a necessity.

Many businesses who display at trade shows neglect the process of following up afterwards. Perhaps a savvy salesperson at the business will have a knack for crafting successful, personalized follow-up emails to the prospects he or she is responsible for following up with. While it is true that a successful follow-up email will be more successful than a form email, it is not enough in and of itself to ensure a successful follow-up campaign. To derive maximum benefit from the investment of time and resources a trade show requires, it is vital that the follow-up email be sent in the context of an entire follow-up campaign; ideally, the follow-up campaign is given just as much priority as the trade show prep and presentation. Many would argue that the trade show follow-up should be given even more attention than the prep work and the live trade show experience. Following up with leads that you acquire at a trade show is even closer to the point-of-sale than the trade show itself. Here are some aspects to consider in crafting a successful trade show follow-up campaign.

Trade Show Equipment

The preparation before the trade show, the actual trade show and the post-trade show follow ups with leads should not be thought of as individual projects; rather, they should be considered as a trade show system. Each part of the system is dependent on the others to work properly. The process of following up really begins before the trade show by making sure you have the right equipment. Many businesses exhibiting at trade shows use a tradeshow badge scanner to collect, store and transfer the contact information of the prospects they interact with at the show. These badge scanners are more advanced than ever before, and having all of the necessary data in one place streamlines the process of following up.

Follow Up Quickly

He who hesitates is lost. The early bird catches the worm. There are countless adages that support the strategy of following up, especially with the leads you accumulate at a trade show, as quickly as possible. The follow-up campaign should be ready to implement the moment the show is over; however, it is important not to sacrifice quality at the altar of speed. Once you transfer your leads from the trade show equipment into your company’s email system, it should only take a day or so to send out your follow-up correspondence. Many businesses mistakenly wait a few weeks, but when it comes to trade show prospects it is better to strike while the iron is hot.

Qualify Leads

The process of qualifying leads is ongoing. Perhaps you have a system of qualifying leads prior to sending out follow-up emails; however, it is important to remember that this qualification is fluid. Including several options in your follow-up email can help you further qualify leads based on the level of interest indicated by their response.

Customize Messaging

All messaging that is part of a follow-up campaign, including emails, phone calls and all other communication, should be customized to the lead. One trick to remember for effective customization is simply to be as specific as possible. Include the name of the specific show, the specific products/services you marketed at the show, the specific name and contact information of your representative at the show and a specific call to action.

Be Goal Oriented

Many people do everything right in the follow-up process without knowing why they are doing it. Long term, this can lead to frustration when things aren’t working out the way you planned. This potential frustration is the reason why it is so important to lay out the goals of your follow-up campaign beforehand. With specific goals, it is possible to apply metrics and A/B testing in order to pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of your campaign and make the necessary adjustments.

A lot of time and energy goes into preparing and executing a successful trade show. In order to make sure you’re investing your valuable time and energy in such a way that provides a return on your investment in the form of business growth, it is important to remember to follow up with sales leads after a trade show. For many people, following up is an afterthought. They invest all of their trade show time and energy into the trade show itself, spending hours on prepping presentations and money on trade show equipment like displays and tradeshow scanners to track of the leads they accumulate. A failure to devote resources to following up after a trade show, however, can ruin the investment made in the trade show itself.

For example, what good is a tradeshow scanner if you don’t have a proper strategy to follow up with the leads it records and stores? It is necessary to make your trade show follow-up strategy a priority in order to maximize the show’s positive effects on your business. The crux of following up with leads after a trade show is an effective email. Everyone understands the importance of making a good first impression at a trade show; alternatively, here are a few tips that can get you thinking about how to craft those crucial emails to leads collected at a trade show.

Personalize The Follow-Up Email

Many people send out a form follow-up email to all the leads they generate at a trade show; this is a tempting mistake. With so many leads, perhaps more than a business has ever had before; the possibility of contacting them all with a single click has a certain appeal. Casting a wide net like this, while it may seem efficient at the time, is a common mistake businesses make when it comes to following up after trade shows. The general rule with these emails is that you get out of each email what you put into it. The minimal effort required of a mass form letter yields minimal results. Think about it: your leads most likely saw many businesses with similar products and services to your own, especially if you displayed at an industry trade show. Your follow-up email, just like your trade show presentation, needs to stand out from the crowd. One way to do this is through personalization. There are many ways to personalize follow-up emails. Of course, one way is to include personal contact information that you received at the show related to the company name, the name of the representative you met with, their title, etc. Another way to personalize the email is to qualify the leads you receive by certain factors like company size, interest in your product, ordering timeline and others. This allows you to tailor your email to their specific needs, and increases the likelihood of a response.

Give Reminders

Another way to separate yourself from the pack through a follow-up email is by reminding the prospect what you went over at the trade show. Solipsism is the enemy of an effective post-trade show mindset. While you might think your business’s presentation, products and services are unforgettable, the reality is that there were many other businesses at the trade show thinking the same thing. Remember this and include some of the information you went over at the trade show, and maybe even some pictures of your products and your trade show set-up, in your follow-up email.

Be Specific

Your follow-up email should probably include a call to action. This call to action need not be a hard sell, but it needs to be specific and goal-oriented. Specificity means avoiding language like, “for more information.” Instead, include in your email a specific, actionable step the lead can take, such as watching a video. An email could include several possible actionable steps based on their interest level; these requests may also be personalized based on how you qualified/interacted with the prospect at the trade show. A follow-up email may seem simple, but a closer look reveals a complex skill that can be mastered for maximum business growth.

Since their inception, barcodes have mostly been associated with the cashiers of the supermarket and retail industries. Nowadays, however, barcodes are finding themselves to be increasingly prevalent in and relevant to a larger and more diverse group of industries than ever before. There are several factors behind the rise of the barcode. For one, barcode technology has increased dramatically in recent years with the increased development and accessibility of three-dimensional barcodes and QR codes. Another reason for the more widespread use of barcodes is the incorporation of cloud-based platforms into more and more industries. The cloud-based platforms make it easier to transfer, store, work with and send the data that can be accumulated with barcodes and barcode scanners. In fact, the increasing ease of working with data could be considered the biggest development in the business world of the past decade; as a result, businesses are understandably placing more of a premium on collecting valuable data—barcodes and barcode scanners are still among the most effective ways businesses can do this. Exactly which industries are being affected by the rise of barcodes? There are too many to discuss in a short post; however, here is a list of a few industries that are now leaning on barcodes and the data they provide. If you own or are involved in a business in one of the following industries but do not yet incorporate barcodes into your practice, consider a barcode scanner rental from a reputable barcode equipment company.

Sports & Entertainment

Barcodes have been traditionally associated with transactions. In few industries are there more transactions, and a more diverse array of transactions, than in the sports, entertainment and events industry. Putting on a sports or entertainment event involves a lot of moving parts; prior to barcode data that could be effectively tracked, when a venue or organization had a problem with an event it was difficult to track down the source of the problem. Now, nearly every facet of a sports game or event is kept track of with barcodes, from concessions to security to technical equipment. When the game or event is over and the controlling organization doesn’t see the overall profit they expected, they can now rely on the data produced by barcodes and barcode scanners to identify the problem and implement a solution.

Healthcare

Barcodes have always been associated with inventory tracking, and there is perhaps no industry where inventory tracking is as important as it is in healthcare. In the healthcare industry, the availability of equipment is a major contributing factor in the delivery of timely, effective treatment. Additionally, many healthcare facilities are facing an increasing number of patients that place a heavy burden on the capacity of the staff and facility. To remedy this, many healthcare facilities are providing patients with barcoded wristbands. Simply scanning the wristband ensures that healthcare practitioners and their powerful computers and data systems have access to all the information they need about the patient and their condition in order to provide the best care possible as quickly as possible.

Education

Education might seem like an unlikely field for barcodes to be used in. A closer look, though, reveals barcodes to be very useful for school. For many schools, their textbooks have been outfitted with barcodes for much longer than they have had the technology adequate to use them. More and more schools are making the technological investment in the software and hardware necessary to scan textbook barcodes and use automated systems to more cost-effectively track inventory. Beyond textbooks, as more schools provide students with computers and iPads, keeping track of assets is becoming more of a priority for those in the education sector.