By Tricia Mallett, AEM Director of Event Services & Technology
Behavioral tracking of attendees at trade shows isn’t a new concept anymore. Select show organizers from a variety of industries are investing in behavioral technology to gain more insight on what exactly attendees are doing during show hours.
Their efforts are paying off, as show organizers are now able to provide better attendee experiences and bring insightful conclusions back to exhibitors to validate their return on investment (ROI). However, post-event analytics to draw specific in-booth conclusions on buyer behavior are now endless… and potentially overwhelming.
Defining booth objectives well before a show is a crucial step toward getting the most out of understanding post-show behavioral data. Whether you’re looking to determine how much time a buyer spent looking at a piece of equipment, or you’re measuring the amount of time your top customers spent in your booth, you’ll need to invest the time upfront in order to ensure your booth metrics are a hit.
The amount of data delivered post-show can be overwhelming, so it’s critical for you to stick to your strategy. Do you have access to internal resources to help draw data conclusions, indicate trends, follow up and plan for the future? Whatever your needs may be, AEM works with several exhibitors and vendors to provide an array of consultation services during the pre-planning stages and post-event follow-up and reporting processes.
At CONEXPO-CON/AGG & IFPE and ICUEE 2017, AEM deployed beacon technology for the first time ever. A beacon is a device that enables location accuracy via Bluetooth® low energy (BLE). The beacon, embedded in attendee badges, transmits signals which allows another device (exhibitor smartphone or tablet) to determine its proximity, and then data is shared. Some exhibitors were able to make changes to their staffing plan in real time based on data they were receiving during the show.
For all CONEXPO-CON/AGG & IFPE exhibitors who purchased lead retrieval, AEM paid for an automatic upgrade, which gave exhibitors detailed analytics of booth traffic, lead qualification dwell time, aisle and booth traffic activity with demographics, as well as insights to company names of attendees in their immediate area. It’s time to take advantage of your AEM membership!
Less than 1 percent of all CONEXPO-CON/AGG & IFPE attendees opted out of beacon technology, and there was definitely a positive and exciting buzz around it. AEM also provided a post-event journey map reminding attendees of everywhere they visited (which, if you think about it another way, is reverse lead retrieval). Attendees utilized the feature as a means to prove to their boss they actually spent some time in Las Vegas on the show floor.
As the saying goes, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas (and with your boss).