The trade show is over; the dust has settled. You’ve read the bazillion emails that piled up while you were out. Then comes the question: How did the show go? Conducting a post trade show review is an essential part of the whole process because it helps you evaluate your performance and pinpoint your booth’s strengths and weaknesses.
What Is the Value of a Post Trade Show Evaluation?
Attending a trade show can eat up a lot of time. There’s the preparation for the show and then the show itself—and then what? The end of the show isn’t the end of the story because there’s still important work to be done. The post trade show review is just as important as any other aspect of the show because it’s how you evaluate what factors have contributed to your success and whether there’s anything you need to change or improve upon.
This is an essential part of the process. Each trade show you attend provides you with new information that lets you continually refine and improve your show strategies. Conducting a post trade show review gives you a way of organizing all that new information. You can then easily pick out the key pieces of data—those important aspects that inform any strategy changes you make for the next show.
Simply put, a post trade show evaluation gives you the information you need to improve, show after show. Whether it’s with a better booth layout or location, extra training for exhibit staff, or new lead generation strategies, you can make those key decisions that keep you moving forward.
How to Use the ProExhibits Trade Show Evaluation
A post trade show evaluation is one of the most important tools you have to guide and improve your trade show program. We’ve designed the ProExhibits Trade Show Evaluation to help you review all aspects of your event quickly and effortlessly.
We’ve populated the electronic form with every conceivable component of a typical event. These include aspects relating to your booth and exhibit, as well as the show itself. Some of the points and questions covered are:
The Show
- Show selection: Are you choosing the right events for your marketing goals? Did this event supply the audience you were looking for?
- Pre-show marketing: Did you get plenty of people pre-scheduling appointments? How many existing customers stopped by to visit? What percentage of your visitors were people who walked in off the show floor?
- Event renewal: Do you plan to attend this event again next year?
The Booth
- Location: Did anyone have trouble finding your booth? Did you miss out on foot traffic because you were tucked away in an isolated corner?
- Design: How well did your exhibit fit into the assigned space? Were you able to adapt its configuration if changes were needed?
- Branding: Did your exhibit branding reflect the look and feel you wanted to convey?
- Layout: How was traffic flow throughout the booth? Did you notice any bottleneck locations that suffered from congestion or crowding?
- Impact: Were your messaging and unique selling proposition clear and concise?
And More
- Financials: Whether you chose to rent or purchase a custom exhibit, did you opt for the most cost-effective option? If you’re currently renting, would it make long-term financial sense to design and purchase a custom booth instead?
- Staffing: Did you have enough staff to meet your needs at every stage of the event? Were your sales staff the best people for the job? Did they have adequate training to meet the needs of every exhibit visitor?
- Lead generation: Did you have practical means to obtain and record leads?
- Marketing materials: Did you have enough marketing collateral on hand? Were there any forms of collateral you needed but didn’t have?
- Demonstrations: How well did your product demonstrations showcase your offerings?
- Vendors: What kinds of contributions did your support vendors make to your success? Did they offer good advice? Were there any unforeseen or surprise charges?
We’ve also included empty fields so you can add in any other items that are specific to the show you attended.
To fill in the form, simply rank the success of each item, according to how well it performed at the event. There’s also space to add comments, so you can note down any particular aspects that contributed to your ranking.
Easily Share Your Thoughts and Get Input from Others
Booth staff: It’s often useful to provide your booth staff with copies of the evaluation sheet. You may all be staffing the same exhibit, but you’ll have different experiences over the course of the event. Getting input from everyone who works at the booth can therefore offer even more useful insights. It’s always helpful to get other points of view, especially if your staff are assigned to different roles during the trade show. Some staff may have insights about booth layout and traffic flow, while others could have ideas for improving lead generation strategies.
Peers and management: Completing this form makes it easy to share your thoughts with others, including co-workers and management. ProExhibits’ Trade Show Evaluation is a great tool to ensure your upcoming shows and events are optimized for success.
ProExhibits: Don’t stop at sharing your evaluation with co-workers and management. We invite you to forward your completed evaluation to ProExhibits for further input. We’re here to provide expert advice, referrals, reading materials, analytics, and innovative ideas to help you succeed at your next show.
The Post Trade Show Review Is an Essential Part of Your Strategy
It’s tough to stay competitive at trade shows, no matter what industry you’re in. To stay ahead of your competition, it’s important to make sure your exhibit, staff, and marketing strategies are the best they can be. Conducting a post trade show evaluation after every event gives you the information you need to do just that.