For decades, traditional trade show exhibiting had been considered a must for building products manufacturers and construction industry professionals. Today, as evolving technologies minimize the need for face-to-face engagement, the trade show continues to provide an opportunity to meet customers in person, build trust offline and stay abreast of the industry.

The expectation of trade show exhibiting as a means to increase demand and customer engagement is fading as companies find it difficult to quantify ROI amidst rising out-of-pocket expenses. Yet, major construction industry events continue to bring out tens of thousands of building industry professionals and exhibiting brands. How can contractors make the most of their participation, be it attendance or exhibition? Here are some key marketing practices to consider to help build offline engagement and achieve a measurable return on investment, with or without the exhibit booth.

Strategies To Consider If You’re Not Exhibiting

Since it’s no longer marketing de riguer to exhibit at major industry trade shows, there are plenty of opportunities to repurpose marketing investments. Consider these measurable tactics:

• Prioritize company attendance. Send a team of core marketing and sales professionals to attend the trade show even if the company is not exhibiting. Instead of fulfilling the need to man the trade show booth, these representatives can use their time to collect and gain business intelligence they may have missed in prior years, such as discovering competitor strategies, gleaning knowledge from workshop sessions, and holding impromptu fact-finding conversations throughout the halls and on the trade show floor.
• Stand out through speaking opportunities. When an industry event posts a call for speakers, consider pitching. If there is no formalized speaking program at your organization, survey your company’s professionals for candidates that would excel at speaking on a topic of their expertise. Pitch topics to trade shows that provide unique value, draw interest, meet attendees’ objectives and compliment the business.
• Set specific goals. Before heading to the show, establish a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) to justify the reasons for being there and keep everyone accountable. For instance, if a company hopes to engage in meaningful customer interactions during the event, its KPI might be hosting at least four lunches or dinners with its most important customers. And, if the company is seeking increased business intelligence, plan to explore competitor’s exhibits and sign up for their customer relationship management (CRM) programs to take stock in various approaches.
• Host an event that gets noticed. Consider hosting a creative, memorable event in tandem with the show. Hold a private breakfast by invitation only or sponsor a specific workshop, refreshment break or general session. Whatever the company decides to do, make sure it’s original, relates to the brand story and is memorable enough that clients will want to tell colleagues about it.

If You’re Exhibiting, Maximize Investment

For businesses who’ve opted to create a showroom experience, they’ll want to make sure they’re applying best practices and tactics to maximize investment. In a hyper connected climate with increased distractions and time-crunched opportunities, along with the ability to work away from work, the trade show experience of 2019 will not be like the trade show experience of 2008. That means marketing strategies made out of habit are probably due for a refresh. Bear in mind the following tactics.

• Plan it out. What will the company’s trade show experience look like? How will it draw attendees into the exhibit, start conversations, qualify your prospects and then keep the conversations going? All of these questions and possible scenarios should be planned out.
• Focus on interaction and engagement. Unlike most marketing strategies, this is the opportunity to engage in a way that can deliver more impact and build more trust than online strategies. Create an experience and establish a connection with those who pass by through smart booth design. Make sure the activities or product demonstrations at the exhibit are not only memorable but also align with attendees’ objectives and needs. Incorporate social.
• Have an end game. As with non-exhibiting companies, establish clear KPIs in advance of the event. What consists of a lead and how many leads can be expected? How will the business capture them and what information will it collect? What proportion of new sales are expected to result from current and new customers? These questions will help set benchmarks to track the investment.
• Keep the show going. After the show floor closes, how will the company keep these conversations going? Plan a post-show outreach strategy that makes trade show leads want to stay engaged. Follow-up and messaging with customers who are already in the pipeline should differ from that directed at new leads as the company addresses customers on their journey.

Ultimately, the trade show experience for exhibiting and non-exhibiting companies, should deliver the same outcome: opportunities to connect face-to-face with prospects, current customers and peers in the industry. And, it should facilitate effective follow-ups on those relationships to let buyers know the company hasn’t forgotten their questions, concerns and goals. Finally, measuring results will indicate whether the company is on the right track or needs to make changes.