Over the last several weeks, we have had several focus groups with our industry’s vendors/exhibitors in our Experienced Exhibitor Mastermind.
So much useful information came to the forefront that will allow us to share with meeting planners and organizers to make events more “fruitful” for all parties.
MEETING PLANNERS – here are just a few of the gems that were taken from these sessions that meeting planners should consider.
Survey your attendees on their registration sheet to determine what types of products and services they are interested in so you can provide them more details on the exhibitors that meet that criteria; this will create more traffic and qualified leads to your exhibitors.
Get creative with your exhibit hall hours/breaks. The quick, 30 minute intermissions between lectures isn’t cutting it any more. There doesn’t seem to be enough time to meet with exhibitors, get your badge scanned, have a snack, and mingle with colleagues in these short breaks. Consider fewer, BUT LONGER, exhibit hall breaks.
Offer a “build your sponsorship” deal vs. locking vendors into sponsorships that provide elements that don’t meet their specific goals. Each vendor is unique, so some may need more pre-meeting offerings, while others need more on-site signage, for example.