Strategies to Capture More Leads at Trade Shows

Strategies to Capture More Leads at Trade Shows

Key Takeaways

1. Many exhibitors fall short of their trade show ROI goals because they struggle to capture leads at trade shows—and the leads they do earn aren’t always vetted or qualified.
2. You can meet (and even exceed!) your trade show goals by implementing core strategies before, during, and after the show that will increase leads and conversions.
3. Your exhibit design directly impacts the quantity and quality of leads you capture. For the best results, partner with a full-service exhibit house that understands your industry and your company’s trade show objectives.

Despite global trends toward digital marketing, in-person trade shows remain one of the best ways for B2B brands to generate and convert leads. The face-to-face setting allows exhibitors to showcase their products directly to their target audience and build relationships with prospects. However, many exhibitors struggle to capture leads at trade shows, which decreases their ROI and makes them wonder if exhibiting is really worth the investment.

The good news is that there are practical, proven strategies to increase the quantity and quality of your show site leads. And when you effectively implement these strategies, you can more easily convert those leads into sales.

Why Trade Show Lead Capture Often Falls Short

It’s no wonder that exhibitors have trouble capturing viable leads. Overcrowded show floors are packed with exhibitors vying for attendees’ attention. Your booth visitors may be distracted, worn out, and not fully present when your booth staff tries to interact with them.

That being said, there are some mistakes that exhibitors themselves make that cause them to miss out on leads. For example:

• A booth might look great, but fail to engage attendees
• Exhibit staff rely too heavily on badge scanners to collect information instead of qualifying the leads
• There’s no clear plan to follow up with the leads after the show

So, how do you avoid these pitfalls, boost your show site leads, and increase conversions? You design strategies to generate excitement about your show floor presence and learn how to qualify and follow up with your new contacts.

Core Strategies to Capture More Leads at Trade Shows

Learning how to capture leads at trade shows requires you to use smart strategies before, during, and after the convention. From your exhibit design to your post-show follow-up, every element in your master trade show plan must work in tandem.

Design Your Booth for Engagement, Not Just Branding

Trade show booth designs that convert leads to sales start with an effective layout. Talented exhibit designers will look closely at your industry, show size, booth space location, and your unique brand to create a layout that invites foot traffic and fosters productive conversations between your booth visitors and your on-site staff.

Some exhibitors find success with closed layouts that have one or two entry points. This adds a bit of mystery and enticement to the attendees’ experience, since they’ll want to see what’s inside your exhibit walls.

Other brands opt for a more open layout that allows for a more organic traffic flow through the booth space—but they still create clear spaces for booth visitors to enter. A large, strategically-placed reception counter lets show attendees know where their journey through your exhibit begins.

An effective booth layout doesn’t only apply to hardware and graphics. It also includes where your on-site staff stands throughout the space. Instead of stationing your entire team at the main entry point, spread them out to the highest-traffic spots. If your space is near a concession stand or restroom, position your staff where they can engage with people visiting those areas.

Use Interactive Experiences to Start Conversations

Passive booths are, well, passé. If your exhibit doesn’t include interactive and engaging elements that draw people in, you won’t be able to effectively capture leads at trade shows.

Here are a few ideas to make your display more interesting, inviting, and interactive:

• Live presentations delivered by an energetic speaker
• Walkthroughs that demonstrate your products and services
• Touchscreens, which teach people about your brand
• Custom product displays that allow attendees to see and touch your products
• Engaging elements like photo booths and games

These interactive experiences do more than just attract more attendees to your space. They also create an opportunity for your on-site staff to chat with the booth visitors. This in-person engagement builds rapport and lets your team naturally qualify leads as they walk through your exhibit.

Train Booth Staff to Qualify, Not Just Collect

Anyone can scan a badge. Although learning how to capture leads at trade shows is an important factor in your booth staff’s training, collecting booth visitors’ information is only part of their job.

An unprepared on-site team is one of the most common reasons why exhibitors struggle to capture viable leads. Equip your booth staff with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed, including:

• Renderings and pictures of the exhibit design
• Comfortable branded uniforms they’ll wear each day of the expo
• Good on-site habits, including making eye contact and standing instead of sitting
• Key qualifying questions they should ask attendees

Make sure each member of your on-site staff knows how to qualify their leads. By the time each of their conversations comes to an end, your team should understand the prospect’s intent and their decision-making power at their company, as well as their business’s pain points.

Offer Value-Driven Lead Magnets

Gone are the days when a branded t-shirt, baseball cap, or koozie will capture leads at trade shows. Giving away swag with your logo helps keep your brand in front of attendees, but the most promising prospects will be looking for higher-value items.

That’s where value-driven lead magnets come in. Give your attendees a taste of what you offer and how you can help them. Offer exclusive content like guides, templates, and worksheets that they can use in their own companies. Then, schedule a complimentary post-show consultation as a follow-up. Providing free but valuable tools establishes your brand’s thought leadership and entices prospects to choose your services.

You can also drive more booth traffic by promoting demonstrations or offerings exclusive to the trade show. You’ll generate excitement—and leads—by creating buzz about time-sensitive opportunities that require a visit to your booth space.

However you choose to offer value to show attendees, make sure your lead magnets align with your company’s overall sales goals. Every single aspect of your trade show marketing strategy and on-site efforts should be aimed directly at growing your business.

Use the Right Technology for Lead Capture

In the old days, exhibitors had to capture leads at trade shows using clunky lead retrieval machines. Fortunately, the technology has evolved! Booth staff can now use sleeker badge scanners and smartphones to record attendees’ contact information.

Many companies choose to level up their technology game when it comes to capturing leads. Ideas include:

• A mobile app designed for your company
• Digital forms that attendees can fill out on their phones
• QR codes printed on your exhibit graphics and collateral
• Event-specific landing pages on your corporate website

As helpful as technology is, you can’t solely rely on it for lead capture and qualification. The most effective strategies usually involve a hybrid approach. In addition to showcasing cutting-edge elements, your on-site staff must engage with booth visitors. After all, trade shows work because people value face-to-face marketing, so personal interaction still goes a long way toward earning and vetting leads.

Capture Leads Before the Trade Show Starts

Pre-event marketing is a crucial part of your booth marketing strategy. Effective promotion in the weeks and months leading up to the show can drive the right traffic to your space.

Cast a wide net when you announce and promote your presence at the trade show. Cold outreaches like email campaigns, social media posts, and paid media ads are great for visibility. As a more targeted approach, have your booth staff contact select attendees to book meetings during the show.

The more work you put into your pre-show marketing campaign, the more leads you’ll capture, sales you’ll earn, and ROI you’ll receive from each expo.

Have a Post-Show Follow-Up Plan Ready

Here’s another pre-show to-do: create your post-show follow-up plan. To convert as many leads as possible, you’ll need to reach out to them quickly, while your brand is still top-of-mind for your new connections.

Once the event ends, launch your post-show strategy by organizing your list of leads by interest and intent. Rate the leads by priority and, starting with the most viable contacts, contact each one personally. Incorporate the knowledge you gained from your staff’s on-site conversations with each lead for a personal touch.

After each trade show, your pipeline should be full of great opportunities to turn contacts into customers. When you go into the convention knowing exactly how you’ll follow up with your prospects, you’re setting yourself up for outstanding trade show ROI.

How Booth Design Impacts Lead Capture Success

Your exhibit design directly impacts your ability to capture leads at trade shows. Your display needs to effectively communicate your branding and products—but it also needs to be designed to draw people in. An interesting, engaging exhibit with a clear, organic flow will increase your booth traffic, drive more booth engagement, and convert more leads to sales.

Since the booth design itself is so important, more and more exhibitors are choosing custom or modular displays over generic setups. Although portable options like banner stands and pop-ups are still around, their show floor presence is dwindling. Companies are investing in more complex custom and modular displays because they simply perform better.

Work With an Exhibit Partner That Designs for Lead Capture

Capturing high-quality leads isn’t just a struggle for your marketing department to overcome. It’s also a challenge that your exhibit design and execution team must meet head-on.

Talented and experienced exhibit designers know that generic, one-size-fits-all trade show displays don’t perform as well as custom or modular ones. They’re experts in maximizing trade show ROI by innovating designs that align with your marketing objectives and each show’s audience. By gaining a thorough understanding of your brand, they’ll produce displays that adapt to your busy trade show calendar and include all the traffic-driving elements you need to increase your lead generation.

The benefits of working with a full-service trade show partner like Metro Exhibits don’t stop with design. You’ll have a full team who’ll handle your logistics and on-site setup and teardown so you and your staff can focus on what you do best: engaging attendees, qualifying leads, and earning sales.

Turn Trade Show Traffic Into Real Opportunities

Remember: your goal is not only to capture leads at trade shows. It’s to capture high-quality leads from attendees who are truly interested in your products and services. Your show-site success isn’t gauged by how many expos you go to or how many badges you scan, but by the number of conversions you earn.

Speak to an expert at Metro Exhibits to get started and build a trade show presence designed to capture more leads!

FAQs

How can you capture more leads at trade shows?

You can implement core strategies before, during, and after each event, including exhibiting with an eye-catching, effective, and engaging trade show display.

What is the most effective way to capture leads at a trade show?

First, launch a pre-show marketing campaign to promote your presence at the show. Then, make sure your exhibit and booth staff offer a memorable experience and valuable takeaways throughout the event.

Why do many exhibitors fail to capture quality leads at trade shows?

Sometimes this is due to an ineffective booth design or an untrained on-site staff. Other exhibitors just don’t know how to capture leads at trade shows—but fortunately, they can learn key strategies that will increase lead generation and sales conversions.

How does booth design impact lead capture at trade shows?

An eye-catching custom or modular display with an organic flow and clear branding will draw consistent traffic to your space. However, a generic booth that offers no interactive opportunities will likely fall flat.

What booth layout works best for capturing trade show leads?

The right booth size and layout depend on your industry’s events, your target audience’s needs, and your company’s goals. Overall, though, custom and modular displays greatly outperform generic portable booths.