Another Australasian Hospitality and Gaming Expo (AHG Expo) is done and dusted. Time to sit back, relax and watch those new connections to turn into partnerships, right? Wrong. As an exhibitor, now is when your real work begins. Here’s how to capitalise on your AHG Expo experience.
Set up a staff briefing as soon as possible
Sit down with staff who attended the expo with you. Debrief on how they think the show went: what did you collectively do well? What could you have done better? What were some surprising benefits that came from the event? This could be an unexpected lead, a potential collaboration with a fellow exhibitor, a new avenue you hadn’t thought to explore yet. Consider writing a survey for them to fill out before the meeting to ensure you cover all bases.
Set SMART goals
If you’re not already familiar, SMART goals allow you to properly analyse whether the goal has been achieved. SMART stands for: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely. For example, a post-show SMART goal could be to have in-person or video meetings with 10 leads in the two weeks after the event. Work with the staff members who attended the expo to determine these goals to ensure they are achievable and understood by all.
Establish a process for chasing leads
Your process for following up on leads is just as important as your process for collecting them during the show. Who will follow up each lead? How will they stay accountable? How quickly will they follow up, and with what method? Consider writing an email template to ensure a streamlined approach. You can also use this time to refine your lead capturing process for the next event. What information would you like to capture next time, and how?
Follow up with your leads
Don’t wait to start contacting your leads – not only while they are fresh in your mind, but you are also fresh in theirs. Personalise each interaction using information you collected at the event, remembering that dozens of other exhibitors could be contacting them too. Keep track of your communications with each lead to minimise confusion – you don’t want to say or send the wrong thing to the wrong person. Oh, and if you plan on sending a mass email to every lead you collected, make sure you add the emails to the ‘BCC’ line, not the ‘To’ or ‘CC’ line so that they can’t see who else you’re emailing.
Start planning your next AHG Expo
There is no time like the present to start capitalising on your next AHG Expo experience. While the experience is fresh in your minds, formulate a plan that addresses any strengths or weaknesses you identified from this expo. How will your stand look next year? What products or services would you like to exhibit? Do they exist yet? What did delegates come looking for at your stand? Did they find it? Most importantly: what would you like your business to be or look like by next March, and how will you best communicate that to visitors?
