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There are many ways to measure the success of your trade show experience. Most exhibitors desire a certain return on investment relative to their exhibit hall expenses.
How you measure this—and over what time period—will vary depending upon the specific goals of your business.
The four most commonly used measures of success are:
1) Exhibit Hall Sales Volume
This one is the most direct measure of success. Every exhibitor would love to cover their expenses–and more–with sales that are closed at the show.
This certainly can and does happen. However, if you rely on this measure exclusively, you may be overlooking the value of the generation of qualified leads that do not buy from you at the show but will likely buy later.
2) Generation of Qualified Sales Leads
There is probably no better source for qualified sales leads than the NWSA exhibit hall sales floor. There is no comparable medium or event that brings literally thousands of the best buying prospects right to you.
It is imperative that you have a plan to capture the attention–and the names and phone numbers–of as many of these people as you can. Then, make sure you have a post-show sales plan in place to do the necessary follow-up. It’s up to you to take advantage of the year-round sales and marketing opportunity that the show provides.
3) Building Brand Awareness/Image
No brand or product will survive long without strong sales. But sometimes an exhibit hall strategy is less focused on near-term sales and more focused on building a brand image or general brand awareness.
This is a valid business goal to pursue at any NWSA conference. There is no better opportunity to get your name out to the largest gathering of feminist educators nationally.
4) Gathering Market Intelligence
Schedule time to walk the show floor, attend seminars and networking events. These are opportunities to learn as much as you can about all aspects of the state of the field and to incorporate the insights you discover into your on-going business plan.
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