by Chris Echevarria
Coming back from Graph Expo or any trade show is always a great time to reflect about how “the show went”.
For different people inside of an organization this means different things – did we get the number of leads we were targeting, did we have enough customer visits scheduled, did we meet with the right prospects, customers, vendors, etc.? It’s about the ROI of attending such a show that usually requires a tremendous amount of resources to achieve the desired results.
So how do you measure your Customer Experience success at a trade show? The overarching goal is to have guests engage with you so that new business can be won or more business with existing customers is grown, right? The more difficult question is how do you control your Customer Experience at a trade show? While it is definitely a more difficult environment to control, there are some companies that do it better than others. Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way both as a participant of a trade show but also as one who’s been responsible for pulling together a trade show.
My #1 recommendation is: Communication, communication, communication. Whether this is with your customers who you want to visit the booth or to your employees working the show, there can’t be enough communication to help reinforce what you are trying to do. How else do you convey the Customer Experience message when there are so many tactical things that need to be done before the show?
If you are looking to have your customers come to your booth make sure you reach out to them in every way possible before the big event, earlier the better – advertisement, PURLS on invitations, phone calls from the sales reps or even better, top management. Create the lists with columns and make sure each customer has numerous touch points leading up to the event. More importantly, when a customer arrives at the booth, ensure that they feel each employee working the booth is eager to meet with them and has been expecting their arrival.
The best way to make sure this level of communication is carried out from the first communique to the end (thank you notes and thank you emails are always well received, remember these individuals who’ve come to your booth are not just a lead but a human being) is training your own staff. In one of my former lives, I made sure that everyone had a customer touch point, whether it was the press operator who will get asked questions by passing guests, all the way up to the top management of the company. Remember, there can never be enough newsletter updates, emails, packages and binders of materials. In addition, preparations for an event should ideally be capped with an overview of training the day before the trade show — a kick-off of sorts.
Not only did all of this set the tone for the way customers would be treated, it also afforded me numerous platforms to have my management share the vision and pump up the staff to create the best possible experience. The result: both the customers and all employees involved appreciated the opportunity to be a part of something bigger.
Chris Echevarria
is a veteran of the offset analog world who has made her way into the digital space. From marketing segment manager, competitive market analyst, product manager and currently as Canon Solutions America’s customer experience manager in Boca Raton, Chris enjoys participating in the changing landscape of the printing industry. The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer and may not be attributed to any organization.
