The biggest mistakes I still see people making at conferences and tradeshows. Here are some of my top pet peeves when it comes to shows like Dreamforce and Inbound. 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐬 / 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡 If you're at the booth, you must be ready to engage! I don't care of it's slow or during sessions. I don't care of you have a sales call. If you need to be on your computer, go somewhere else. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐠 Using swag is still a great strategy, but only if the swag is good! Forget the pens and notebooks and t-shirts. And don't get me started on swag with big and annoying logos. Your CEO is the only one who cares about wearing swag with the company logo front and center. Get creative. Use Sendoso and their SmartSend to personalize swag. 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 There are more anciliary parties and events at Dreamforce and Inbound to count, and you should hit as many as you can. But it drives me crazy when your entire team follows each other around and only talk with each other. Use the buddy system and pair up, then split up! 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐬 There are so many people to scan, but most of it is just noise. It's about finding the right people. How do you attract, quickly identify, and then capture actual buyers? You should be measured on meetings set with your ICP. Chili Piper calls these QHMs (Qualified Held Meetings). 𝐆𝐮𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 There are some creative companies that do fun guerilla marketing and get attention. But most of the time, the message or overall campaign doesn't tie to the company in any way. It's like the Superbowl commercials that are funny, but then you don't remember what the commercial was for. What would you add? #dreamforce #inbound #eventmarketing #marketing #b2b
Matt Harney
2mo
No Low Energy Reps - in midst of some important infrastructure decisions / purchases, met with a rep at their SaaStr booth - so low energy, just gives vibes vendor will be even more "checked out" post purchase.
Chuck Moxley
2mo
Spot on with these Brandon Redlinger 🌶️. Two I'd add: 1. Reps sitting behind tables in booths. It forces anyone interested in learning more to go to you and make a concerted effort. And then you are at different heights so the prospect has to talk down to the rep. It's just a weird dynamic. Get out from behind tables, stand, and be easily approachable at the front or edges of the booths where people are walking to make it nearly impossible not to engage in conversation. 2. If you're not going to do a high-quality or personalized swag item that people will naturally want (maybe due to cost), then at least make it a swag item that ties into what you do or your brand messaging so it's more memorable. (For example, a mobile tech company with a mobile accessory, if your marketing message positions you as being "like Legos but with software," then give away Lego pieces or small Lego kits, etc.)
Charlie Riley
2mo
Great points. Subtle branding on high quality swag should be table stakes. I'm obviously a huge fan of guerrilla marketing with out-of-home being a prime channel to execute it, but making sure the call to action or message lets people know what you do. If not, its just something cute that everyone says "Loved it, but no idea what they do" about your execution a month later.
Ryan DeForest
2mo
Badge Scans are only "noise" because of the technology that was used (and overpaid for). Like the awkward "klik-ing" at Inbound with your badges... 😂 "How do you attract, quickly identify, and then capture actual buyers?" Easy answer... *cough* 🙋♂️ *cough*
Adam May
2mo
Couple points to build on: Booth staff etiquette and expectations/accountability is a BIG one for me. A lot of this ends up coming down to the induvial. It takes the right soft skillset to be successful in the booth, it cant just be the closest AE to the conference to save on T&E. The right person who is outgoing and welcoming, while also meticulous with tracking their activity and isn't selfish in how the follow up happens. The scanning, and accuracy of the data/notes is just as important as the ability to engage a person on the show floor. Which leads to - treating all scans the same. Unfortunately, some of the best way to track KPIs for large tradeshows is scanning. But, not all scans are created equal. People stopping by for your cool swag should not be followed up with the same way as someone who has genuine product conversation/interest. Having a solid strategy on how to connect the various activations at a tradeshow to a data point that triggers appropriate follow up is the best way to show both short term and long term ROI from tradeshows.
Kirill Muravev
2mo
Great insights! I'd add that one of the biggest missed opportunities is failing to engage post-show. Too often, companies don't follow up properly after events. Sending out personalized follow-ups tailored to the conversations you had can help convert leads into actual customers. It's about continuing the connection beyond the booth, not just collecting business cards. Also, booth design matters—having a welcoming, open layout draws people in. Make the space visually inviting and interactive so it naturally sparks curiosity.
Mac Reddin 🦕
2mo
"And don't get me started on swag with big and annoying logos." Unless your logo is a dinosaur, then people will literally be begging you for merch with your logo on it 🦕
Sahil Patel
2mo
Yes on all counts. And reps need to stay off the phone. Rep staring down at phone = I don't want to talk to anyone
Manish Garg
2mo
🔥🔥
Company Builder | Problem Marketer | Category Creator
2moReps being on their computers and not working the halls are my biggest annoyances. As you need to build new pipeline and that's why you are there at the booth: To understand peoples problems, see if you can meet them where they are and solve them. If not find other ways to give value. Another one is when vendors don't get a booth and try to pitch you in their booth --> This may seem bootstrappy but respect those who got the booth and made the investment to help their business. grow.