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Web Directions Expo Part 2
Posted by Mathew Patterson on October 22, 2007 3:04 PM
In part 1 I covered some of our decisions relating to why we attended, and our stand design. In this post I wanted to mention some of the lessons we learned during the two conference days.
People love free stuff - I know, hardly surprising, but we gave away our 200 t-shirts within the first couple of hours, and a ton of people were wearing them on day 1 and 2. Next time we would bring more shirts (or something else), or spread them out a bit to reach more people.
You don't need free stuff to attract people - This was a bit more of a genuine discovery. Even after our shirts had gone and you could no longer enter the competition, we had a lot of people come up to talk about our products. Without the distraction of freebies, we could spend time really explaining the concept, and getting to know existing customers.
A great stand position helps - we were located right opposite the main hall doors, so as everyone came out after a session, they saw us first. That really seemed to help get people in. Obviously you can't always choose your location, but it's worth knowing that it makes a difference.
People like demos - we had worried that if we were talking to individuals, we'd miss out on connecting with people walking by. As it turned out, having one of the team talking through the applications with individuals was a draw card - people walking by stopped to listen and ask their own questions.
Face to face conversations are valuable - we talked to people who had seen Campaign Monitor or MailBuild before, but just had one little question holding them back. They had not bothered contacting us by email or phone, but since we were right there, could just ask in person. It's easier to understand someone's requirements when you are having a live conversation than it is online or on the phone.
Overall, it was a fantastic learning experience for us, and very enjoyable too. We'd started out unsure about the whole idea, but by the end were convinced that a small Expo like this could really help connect us with existing and new customers.
We look forward to future opportunities!
Maxine Sherrin
wrote on November 5, 2007 3:44 PM
It makes me so happy to read that you were happy with how the Expo went. It was a learning experience for us as well, it being our first Expo. We felt the same way as you: it really did add to the experience for attendees, and it's just awesome to read about how it's benefitted exhibitors like you guys.
NickC
wrote on January 23, 2008 11:52 PM
I've done a billion expo's (seems like) and your post strikes a chord. Newbies make very similar mistakes;
Closed in stands that don't let people wander in
Trying to hit everyone rather than focus on 1:1
Lost of flash/fun stuff but little real meat
Doesn't that sound like brochureware vs a proper website, the same basic laws apply?? Great to hear it all went well for you.
Nick
Got anything to add?