When you have a successful trade show, you can end up with more potential sales leads, sales agreements signed, and overall healthier sales pipelines. Yet, if you aren’t getting feedback, you won’t be making the most out of your trade show experience.
Of course, you may get feedback from the people who choose to partner with you after the trade show. This is valuable feedback, but these individuals probably report a positive experience. While that feedback can be helpful, it will not help you improve your booth experience for the next event or to target other types of visitors.
The best way to get this valuable feedback is to collect surveys from all people who participate in your trade show. This includes sales staff, booth visitors, sales professionals, and even the management of your organization. When you collect enough feedback, you will have a clear picture of what is working, what could be improved on, and how you can make your next event even more of a success.
Here is a closer look at how you can get this feedback and use it effectively.
All Booth Visitor Feedback
First, collect as much feedback as you can from booth visitors. Encourage them to provide honest feedback. You can do this through an informal question as they are leaving the booth, which your sales team will record, through a tablet-based or computer-based survey on exit, or through a paper survey.
Sometimes, hosting a giveaway or drawing for those who return the survey will encourage participation. Make it as easy as possible for people to record their feedback to encourage a large number of people to leave a comment.
Be careful that you do not tie this feedback to any type of newsletter or forced communication. Some people do not want to be contacted, particularly if they have had a negative experience or are not interested in your product or service.
You will get more feedback, and with greater honesty, if you avoid connecting the communication to your newsletter funnel.
Staff Feedback
After the event, ask your sales staff about it. Find out what worked in the booth design and space to make their job easy. Find out what made it more difficult. Get feedback on all aspects of the booth, from the overall layout to the process of setting up and tearing down the booth.
Some staff members may be hesitant to share negative feedback. They know the investment you made in the booth, and they may want to avoid saying anything negative.
Assure them that you need constructive feedback to make your next event even more successful. Use that feedback to adjust your strategy and your booth in order to improve the success of subsequent events.
Management Feedback
Your management team needs to assess all of this feedback. You may also have ideas about what worked well, what worked sufficiently, and what didn’t work at all. Collect the feedback from team members and attendees, and then use that along with your own observations to create feedback from your management team.
Even if your trade show went well, there is almost always room to improve. Collect your visitor and staff feedback, and then rework your process so that it is even stronger and more effective.
Your team will appreciate the fact that you listened to constructive criticism, and future visitors will find your booth even more engaging.
Always Work for Improvement
Ultimately, every trade show is a learning opportunity. In the end, you should be working to make your next event even better than the one before it. There is always something you can tweak, and getting the right feedback will get you started.
Another way to ensure your trade show is effective is to work with the right exhibit house. An experienced exhibit house not only helps you build your trade show, but also assists as you adjust your design and strategic approach to make it even more effective.
Ultimately, a seasoned exhibit house will have your best interests in mind at all times, and the end result is improvement for both your sales team and the showgoer’s experience.
If you are looking for an experienced exhibit house to partner with, contact Exhibit Options for help today.
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