If your event managers are spending the bulk of their time on event logistics – shipping, delivery, set-up, staffing and tear-down of your exhibit booth and promoting it on social media – you may be missing the bigger picture.
A MORE HOLISTIC APPROACH
In the world of event marketing, booths are table stakes. While exhibit booths play a role in promoting your brand and engaging customers, event management requires a more holistic approach.
Achieving business outcomes involves other stakeholders in your organization, and requires a commitment to measuring and reporting on quantifiable results beyond the softer metrics of brand
Your customers want to know how your products and services speak to their needs and interests. Your sales managers want to know how your participation at an event is helping their teams turn qualified leads into closed sales. And your executive management team wants to know how your presence at a show or event is contributing to business outcomes, like revenue and return on investment (ROI) goals.
DEVELOP A SCORECARD
To ensure your marketing program is meeting the needs of your stakeholders and achieving your desired business outcomes, develop and implement a scorecard. As a starting point, consider adding the following quantifiable metrics to your scorecard:
- Number of visitors
- Most and least popular discussion topics
- Number and type of social media mentions of your brand, key messages and event hashtag(s)
- Number of qualified leads
- Number of closed sales
- Average revenue per closed sale
- Cost of participating
Follow each event with a post-event assessment, inviting candid feedback from the various stakeholders within your organization. Review and report on your results. Develop and implement corrective actions, when necessary, to improve performance. Use the output of each assessment to quantify your ROI and to inform your participation for the future.
Photography Source: Flickr, Biba Broker
