As the show begins to wind down, and you and your staff hustle to score those last minute leads, it is time to reflect on your show experience. You will need to determine whether there was a return on investment, if all of your show objectives were met, and finally, what have you learned.

There are some basic methods you can use to assess your return on investment. Add up all the leads you’ve acquired during the show and compare them with your projected estimates. If there were any in-booth surveys conducted, you can total those as well. Such surveys are a great way of getting visitor feedback, and will give you some idea of attendance and level of interest. Hire a clipping service to keep track of any news coverage your company may have received in connection with the show. You can look at how many promotional items were distributed, and how much literature people grabbed, but this is a crude measurement of success at best.

Have all your show objectives been met? Did you gather the number of leads that you anticipated? Did you meet your sales quota, if you had one? How did your booth staff function under pressure? It is a good idea to do a post show review with all staffers regardless of whether they are temporary help or your own workers. Ask them if they have any feedback on how they felt the show went. Ask your staff about what worked and what did not. Which versions of the pitch worked best and which fell flat? Were there a sufficient number of promo items and brochures? How many people watched your product demos? By asking these questions you will discover decisions that worked and those that didn’t. By conducting a thorough post-show analysis, you can improve your performance at next year’s show.

Mel White
Classic Exhibits Inc.
503.652.2100