Dos and Don'ts for Improving Trade Show ROI

How do you decide whether a trade show was worth your money, time and effort? Chances are, when you follow up afterward with the team staffing your exhibit, you are told: “The show was great—we had good traffic and productive conversations.” But this level of detail does not quite satisfy after you have spent several thousand dollars or more. Sometimes the argument is made that you have to go to a trade show because competitors exhibit or because people will think your business is suffering if you don’t. The only good way to decide on events is to set goals, track and measure return on investment (ROI). This is especially critical when you consider that trade shows cost an average of $10,000 per person participating, including all the show expenses plus the travel, entertainment, lodging and time away from the office.