Research Center >> June 2008

Trade Shows Continue to Bring in Hot Prospects
Here’s how.
from AICPA Custom Media Solutions

Are you moping about the recession? Still thinking of sweeping your events under the rug? That’s like burying a “real” money tree or your actual golden goose alive. Not convinced? Here’s what some of your B2B peers think about trade shows:

More than four out of five (82%) B2B trade show attendees have the power to recommend or make final decisions, according to a recent survey by Exhibitor magazine on live event trends.
  
Still not convinced? Consider that trade shows have a special advantage over most other weapons in your marketing arsenal: word-of-mouth referrals. It’s beautiful. Attendees do the work for you by evangelizing on your behalf. Impress them with your products and demos at the show, they’ll not only turn into buyers, but they’ll gladly convert their contacts and send them your way.

Trade shows also put the human element behind your product or service, which can be a real plus in today’s impersonal voicemail/e-mail age. Prospects see your staff at your exhibits. They’re not hidden behind a Web site or toll-free phone number. They ask questions, they get immediate answers.

As reported in expoweb, The Viral Impact of Events, an EMI Strategic Insights Report by the Event Marketing Institute, found:

• 98 percent of attendees who have a positive experience at an event tell others about the experience; more than half of those tell four or more people.
   
• 90 percent of people attend an event with someone else, 20 percent with a group of five or more people. While these tagalongs might not be the targeted customer, they are frequently decision influencers.
   
• 63 percent of attendees at events could recall the name of the company that sponsored the event.
   
• 27 percent of attendees consider switching brands after a positive experience at an event and their recommendations can often sway colleagues and friends.
   
• 71 percent of attendees spend more than an hour at events.

The report also found that three out of four attendees (78%) shared their event experiences with friends and colleagues. Of them, more than half (64%) reported their experiences in person, and 43 percent of them do so within two days of the event. Here’s one more tidbit, one in three (37%) reported their experience later the same day that they attended the event.

So here’s your chance to get the word out on your products. Go to events, meet and greet your existing customers. Patiently answer queries from prospects and let all those happy customers do your advertising for you for free. What more could you want?