In a digital world, having the opportunity to connect face-to-face with like-minded individuals can be somewhat of a rarity. From generating new business to staying current with the latest trends, attending events and conferences can be crucial to the success of your company. For this reason, we’ve put together a list of key things you should think about before attending or hosting your next event.
Know Your Target Demographic
Before you attend a conference/trade show you need to make sure that the people who are attending are the people you want to interact with. Renting a space can cost quite a lot so why would you waste your time and money?
It may be worth speaking to your current customers/end users to find out what events are the best to attend, this way you will generate organic attendees as customers are likely to tell their friends that you are attending a certain show/event.
After finding out what customers are attending what events, research each event and their audience members before deciding which ones are worth attending.
Set Goals
What are you aiming to achieve from attending this event? You should get your team together and decide prior to attending what your goals are. This is a great way to assist in decisions on which shows to attend as different events cdan offer different outcomes for your business.
Again research is key, ask any previous attendees what they got out of the event or have a search on social media to find out what comments people made on the event.
Develop a Strategy
Once you have a goal in mind, it’s time to lay out a strategy to achieve your goals. Lots of other businesses will likely be attending and it is important that as well as networking with these you are understanding what they do and how they can be beneficial to your business.
At a technology event, depending on the style you may be interested in learning a few things about new technology and how it is being used. There will be experts speaking and demonstrations/workshops that are definitely worth participating in.
Leaders should attend the topics most vital to growth in your tech company, but other employees may be happy to go and learn more about other topics and report back with notes.
Set Your Own Schedule
If you attend a tech conference, you’ll find they give you a schedule of events. Keep in mind that these are the available offerings. If you try to attend every event on the agenda, you’ll burn out fast. You may need more networking time than they allow, too. Keep in mind that you can skip anything you don’t feel is necessary for your growth. Instead, set up a chat over drinks with potential clients and customers.
Costs incurred
The cost of your booth is only a portion of the overall cost of attending an event. You must also factor in travel for those running the booth and perhaps an exhibitor fee for each person, depending upon the rules of the show.
You will also need to purchase banners and other decor to help you stand out amongst the many other businesses attending. Why not try and incorporate digital signs on a tv screen?
Use Technology to Your Advantage
Being a technology business, people will expect you to use tech to your advantage. For example, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are both growing in popularity and can be used to grab the attention of attendees.
Imagine a potential customer stopping by your booth and interacting with your signage by pointing their smartphone at an image and transporting to a new world.
Take Freebies
If you set up a booth, or just attend but want to connect with other attendees, take plenty of giveaways to hand out during the conference.
Your promotional products should tie into what you do in some way. If you create smartphone apps, pass out a small stand for smartphones with your company name imprinted on the back. If you work in cybersecurity, offer a small promotional cover piece for laptop cameras. Think about how you can tie what you do into your freebie.
When Searchability attended the AI careers fair in Edinburgh the guys took some super cool highlighters and offered CV advice due to the nature of their business.
Train Before Manning the Booth
Those who represent your brand at your booth should know your business inside and out!
If a potential customer has a question, you want the person manning the booth to be able to answer almost right away or at least have someone who can answer.
Again, it costs a lot to attend so you should have employees that are passionate and engaging manning your stand. No one will be interested in doing business with someone that has little knowledge on what your business can offer or is more interested in reading their texts.
Do you have an event coming up that you would like us to attend? Get in touch today
Written by: Heather Turnbull
