Rethinking Event Strategies

To booth, or not to booth

Event season is closing in! I’ve been asked so many times in the last few weeks what events strategy I suggest my clients put in motion this year. And I keep harping on one thing: the much-needed evolution from badge scans equating to high intent interest, vs. modern strategies that are capturing attention, fostering connection, and elevating your brand in the new era of experiential marketing.

Most Event Strategies Feel Like This

We've all been there, navigating events with booth scans, product announcements, and the infamous pursuit of "leads" (often translated as "I just want a t-shirt"). We find ourselves investing $20,000 to $150,000 (USD), sometimes even more, to secure a 10x10 booth in a sea of other vendors.

We make it to the vendor floor and it’s a mad dash with the lead scanner to get your reps out in front intercepting traffic and trying to have valuable conversations with prospects who are trying their best to enact stealth mode as the weave their way across the room to their next keynote session.

You spend 3 days on the floor with your reps trying to make a dent. Tally up all of your badge scans as you teardown your booth on that final day. You’ve snagged 200 scans, enriched to find 15% of them are ICP. Of those that are ICP, 60% were there for a t-shirt. The other 40% are divvied amongst the 5 sales reps you brought with you to the event.

Each rep just worked 3 days for 2 potentially warm leads a piece. The ROI on the event, down the tubes.

While this is a dramatic telling, entirely made up just now as I’m drinking my morning coffee, this isn’t far from the truth of how traditional conferences shake out. Here are a few new twists on tradition that might help you deliver your next break out event 👇