The third reason people give me for not developing a measurement strategy for their trade shows and events is that they don’t know what can be measured that would be meaningful. They do their event and then try to decide afterwards based on memory or gut reactions, whether it was successful or not. A better way to proceed is to think about what you’d like to get from the event and then build a measureable strategy around that. So, you may have a goal of introducing a new product at a show or event. The question to answer to set a measureable strategy is, “how many of our target audience do we need to be introduced to our new product or service for us to feel this event was a success?” (note: this may include new or existing customers.) Once you answer that question, you need to put your plans into place as to how you’re going to get those target audience members to your booth or event. If you do this, not only can you measure to see if you hit your overall goal, but you can track and measure all of those tactics that you spend time, money and other resources on to attract your target audience. Armed with this information you can see what works and what doesn’t work and make better, more mindful choices that will help you get better results as you plan future events. And making more informed decisions to get better results seems pretty meaningful to me.
What are your thoughts?
About Susan Brauer
Leave a Comment