How to Capture Leads at a Trade Show

Miquel Bonfill
Miquel Bonfill
According to the CEIR (Center for Exhibition Industry Research) study “Thе Sреnd Dесіѕіоn: Anаlуzіng Hоw Exhіbіtѕ Fіt Into the Ovеrаll Marketing”, 81% of trade show visitors have the authority to make purchasing decisions. That’s why it’s important to capture the contact details of visitors to trade events: it enables you to open communication with purchasing decision-makers in both B2B and B2C. In this article we’ll look at an effective way of capturing leads at trade shows to feed the marketing and sales funnel of your brand.

The data confirms what we all know: trade shows are uniquely convenient for boosting and accelerating the purchase process because they bring together people with the capacity to decide to make a purchase. 

However, in this context of high competition, it is important to establish a connection with visitors who approach your sales stand so you can communicate with them once the fair is over. That’s why obtaining a visitor’s data – in other words, capturing the lead – is so important.

Traditionally, visitors would leave their personal data by dropping off a business card, or perhaps by filling in a form in order to take part in a giveaway. These methods are now completely out of date. Cards tend to live an ephemeral life: they go from the wallet to the desk (if they’re lucky), where they often end up getting lost or forgotten about. Physical forms must be entered manually into Excel, or another digital format, before any use can be made of them, and this can often involve typographical errors, illegible handwriting, and/or incorrectly entered email addresses.

This is why we suggest you carry out a digital lead collection activity for your stand. You can create a game, a questionnaire, or a simple sign-up form. Here you can see an example of a prize wheel targeted at visitors at a trade show who had a chance of winning a prize when registering. It was an ideal activity for the company to collect leads from the visitors.

digital lead collection activity: prize wheel

As you can see, Easypromos can offer you a solution that’s flexible, sustainable, and easy to implement. The idea is to create a participation dynamic that’s straightforward and appealing, offering a prize that will capture the attention of visitors and motivate them to leave their contact information via a digital form. The most common and simple dynamic is an Entry Form Giveaway displayed via a microsite. Visitors can then participate using their own mobile number; all they have to do is scan the QR code displayed on the posters or display screens at the stand.

To give you some inspiration, here are some actions available to you:

  • Register in a giveaway for a chance to win a fantastic prize.
  • Spin the wheel and win direct prizes.
  • Test your knowledge with our quiz and we’ll give you a t-shirt.
  • Find out which product best suits your needs and get big discounts.
  • Play with us and win exclusive prizes by accumulating points.
  • Complete this survey about our brand and get free merchandising.

The main objective of all these actions is to arouse the visitor’s curiosity by using simple, but fun, digital interactions that generate an emotional bond with the brand while serving to feed leads to your CRM.

How can you run a promotion from your stand?

Here’s a 10-step guide:

  • Create an Easypromos account. It’s free and you don’t need to enter your bank or credit card information.
  • Access the Easypromos dashboard and click on “Create New Promotion.”
  • Choose the type of promotion you want to use: Games, Surveys, Quizzes, Spin the Wheel, Scratch Cards, Product Recommender, etc. There are over 40 options.
  • Customize the design with your own logo, images, and brand colors. 
  • Customize the contact form.
  • Customize the game or the dynamics of participation with your own message.
  • Set up the prize or prices you wish to distribute. 
  • Carry out all the necessary tests to ensure that the promotion works and looks like you want it to.
  • When you want to make the promotion available to all audiences, click on the “activate promotion” button. At this point the system will ask you to sign up to an Easypromos plan.
  • Choose the license that suits you best. We recommend the Premium Plan or the White Label plan because these will allow you to make unlimited promotions. 

capture leads at a trade show: Easpromos example

How can I simplify access to the promotion?

The best way to provide quick and easy access is to use a QR code that leads to the promotion URL. To give the QR code maximum visibility, display it on signs or screens at your stand. Visitors will be able to simply point their smart phone at the QR and be participating within seconds.

The more accessible you make the QR the better. Ideally, even if there are too many people at your stand for you to attend to them personally, visitors will be able to participate in the promotion and interact with your brand on their own.

If you’d like to give your promotion a nice finishing touch, you could customize the URL with your own domain or subdomain so that the QR leads to your specified link, e.g., tradeshow.mybrand.com.

Below, you can see an example of the type of poster you could display at your stand, including the promotion’s URL plus the QR. Scan the code with your phone and test for yourself what the participants’ experience will be like!

capture leads at a trade show: QR example

I’ve my got leads. Now what?

In the registration form of your promotion, you can include a box for visitors to give their permission to receive commercial information from your brand. You can then import this contact data directly into your CRM. Easypromos offers integrations with the most popular CRM and email marketing applications. If you don’t use a CRM system, or if you’d rather manage the contacts manually, you can export the data in CSV or Excel. If you wish to use your IT department, remind them that we also offer an API that they can use to process the data automatically.

You can also use the Easypromos email platform to communicate with your visitors. For example, after each visitor participates in the promotion, you can have an email sent to them automatically, thanking them for participating. You could include relevant service information in this email, so that the visitor really gets the most out of the trade show. In addition, you could send an email to remind promotion participants when the final draw of your giveaway will take place. This will help keep your brand in their minds.

Make the most of all the options that Easypromos provides for creating interactive experiences at trade shows. You’ll capture leads and strengthen the link between your brand and visitors to your stand. If you’d like to see a live demo, get in touch with us and we’ll analyze your needs and provide you with solutions and ideas for your next trade shows, conventions, and congresses.