Mastering Lead Generation at Events: A Deep Dive Into Exhibitor Technologies

Lead generation at events is critical to exhibitor value. Exhibitors need a reliable lead generation system to successfully drive business for their organization. Lead collection typically requires a lead capture app and a digital portal. 

The lead capture app gathers leads, and the leads portal allows exhibitors to access the contact information of the new leads. To enhance on-site experiences for your sponsors and exhibitors at your events, upgrading your lead generation technology is a good place to start. 

What Makes a Good Lead Capture App?

For effective lead capture, ease of use is imperative. When your organization is trying to juggle last-minute registrations, speaker presentations, catering, hotel bookings, and everything else at the last minute, spending a lot of time training exhibitors to use an app is the last thing you need to add to the to-do list. A lead capture app should be highly intuitive. When evaluating technologies, ensure that the lead capture app provides a user-friendly interface with clear navigation. 

Additionally, a lead capture app should provide exhibitors a way to prioritize leads. Whether through notes, questionnaires, favoriting, or some other feature, exhibitors need the ability to sort through those they meet. Some apps allow exhibitors to share content with attendees right away with the click of a button. When combined, these capabilities enable exhibitors to have meaningful follow-up conversations with the right contacts in a timely manner.

What Makes a Good Leads Portal?

A good leads portal provides instant access to leads. In the past, exhibitors had to wait to receive a list of leads from an event organizer. But modern technology has made it possible for exhibitors to view and act on leads the moment they receive them. 

Reporting capabilities are the most important consideration for evaluating lead generation technologies. Does the technology provider have reporting templates built out for exhibitors, or will exhibitors need to build their own reports? Generally, exhibitors prefer to use simple templated reports, but a few may want to create their own reports. A good leads portal includes both templates and custom reports. 

Lead Generation Best Practices for Exhibitors

Even with the best technologies at their disposal, exhibitors may still miss out on valuable lead information. To help your exhibitors find the most value from your event, encourage them to do the following:

• Create a target contact list in advance. Knowing who they are looking to form connections with will help exhibitors work smarter. 
• Take notes for better follow-up. Notes about interests, competitive solutions, buying windows, or needs are instrumental in making a sale.  
• Follow up quickly. Send sales and marketing collateral to target contacts while their brand is still top of mind. Be sure to use UTMs for event attribution. 
• Identify leads’ preferred contact method. Rather than blindly sending out information, ask booth visitors how they prefer to be contacted. 
• Set and track goals. Evaluate your leads to track KPIs such as the number of leads collected or the number of sales closed. 

RainFocus’ Leads Retrieval app automates these processes to help exhibitors collect high-quality leads, analyze important engagement behavior data, and generate positive ROI for the event — making them much more likely to exhibit again in the future. For more information about the RainFocus Lead Retrieval app and how you can use our tools to create a better exhibitor experience, request a demo.