Measuring the Success of Virtual Trade Shows

Posted by Cat Virca in Planning, Tips, Trends

Tracking the success of virtual trade shows may not be the same as conventional shows. Eric Vidal, Director of Marketing for InterCall Inc., provides a list of tips ensuring you are using proper metrics to gauge the success of virtual trade shows. In his article for Exhibitor Online, Eric suggests keeping metrics reports outside of only attendance rate to measure your events true performance.

Target audience. Quantity does not necessarily determine success rate. Ideally, you should get decision makers with purchasing power and intent to attend your online trade shows. Attendees without authority don’t typically convert into sales and legitimate leads. Identifying your registrants before your trade show will also help you determine if attendees fit within your target market and can be qualified as sales leads.

Attendee Engagement. Don’t let your attendees get bored. Track attendance rates throughout your virtual trade show. Tracking attendance can help you identify what drives people to leave your virtual trade show. Some people may have prior commitments they need to leave for, but generally tracking attendance numbers can help you maintain engagement throughout the show. For best results, analyze presentation methods and try hosting virtual trade shows at different lengths. Host 30-minute show, 60-minute show and 90-minute virtual trade shows.

Forward Progress. Establish benchmarks to help you analyze the success of your trade show. Compare the number of sales before and after your show. Conduct a survey to allow attendees to provide feedback about your virtual trade show. Surveys give you the opportunity to make improvements or implement different strategies to ensure your next virtual trade show is more effective.

Read the full article.