“ You Know You’re a Great B2B Event Planner When...”

The 5 Traits That Separate the Best B2B Event Planners From The Rest

Facts, stats, and ideas for the Events Industry

information = power

1. You See Things Before They Happen

Some call it your “spidey sense”, others view it as your borderline-creepy knack for predicting the future; as an amazing event planner, you have an uncanny sense of the big picture. You understand that even small decisions have far-reaching consequences, and as a result, you strive to make informed choices with the best long-term payoff.

Trade show attendance has increased for 9 straight quarters (as of q4 2012), with the Most growth seen in the following industries:

•  Finance/Legal/Real Estate •  Transportation •  Communication/Information Technology •  Food

Source: Metro Exhibits !via CEIR), 2013

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2. You understand why and not just how

It’s easy to get into a rut with certain events, especially those that recur from year to year. Many planners will follow a timeworn formula simply because it’s familiar. You, on the other hand, know that your job isn’t just to gather a bunch of people in a room. Your task is to impact business at the bottom line. Before starting work on any event, you succeed in defining the desired outcome. Is the intent to drive sales of new products, to increase the performance of particular product lines, or to capture business from the competition? Maybe all of the above? You ask, answer, and proceed accordingly.

45% of attendees visit only one convention annually.

This statistic highlights how important it is for companies—especially new companies—to exhibit at events. Taking advantage of the rare opportunity to connect with an audience face-to-face could mean the difference between

success and failure. 45%

Source: EXHIBITOR Magazine, 2013

3. You practice “kissinger-esque” diplomacy

Being an event planner means existing at the center of everything and everyone. Where Henry Kissinger negotiated with presidents and policy makers, you work to unite exhibitors and attendees, decorators and electricians, venue coordinators and city contacts, marketers and media reps. Not only that, you may also have an executive management team to appease. It’s no easy feat, but you thrive because you seek solutions that benefit every contingency.

Google your own show.

To find out who’s talking about your event before and after it happens, do a quick search online. Articles, blogs, and reviews can help you discover what attendees are excited about, what they took away, and what areas you may need to improve.

Source: ExpoWeb, 2013

4. You create value Everyone aims to get something meaningful out of an event. But what an exhibitor wants is likely different than what an attendee wants, and what your executive team wants may be different than what their sales reps want. You understand that each group is crucial to the success of an event, so you strive to deliver solutions that help them each realize their own version of success.

Sell using smell. Yes, really.

Used by retail brands including Samsung !not to mention many real estate agents", scent marketing is a tactic most event planners and marketers

probably haven’t considered. Scent can help attendees connect with brand and may also influence loyalty. Use certain scents elicit results in different

buying scenarios:

•  Openness to buying expensive furniture: Leather, cedar •  Openness to buying a home: Fresh baked goods

•  Willingness to browse longer and spend more: Tailored fl oral and citrus

Source: Epic Displays !via Scent Marketing Institute & ScentTrends), 2012

5. You make things oh so easy To get attendees to show up and then interact with exhibitors in ways that will help to achieve the desired outcome for an event, you realize that simplicity is key. You make it uncomplicated to register and gather information prior to the event, and then ensure that check-in is quick on site. You make it easy to navigate the show with maps and attendee-specific reports, and confirm that the times and locations of seminars are clearly indicated. After the event, you provide reporting to department stakeholders so that orders are fulfilled, leads are pursued, and prospective accounts are converted. You make events foolproof.

81% of trade show attendees have buying authority.

On average, 4 out of every 5 attendees at a show are decision makers capable of making purchases. Access to a high ratio of potential customers is a powerful value proposition for exhibitors debating whether or not to participate in an event.

Source: Skyline Trade Show Tips !via CEIR), 2013

81%

Basically, You rock.

We’re Data Connect Corporation and we provide event software and data management systems to companies big and not so big. We strive to make data more accessible, meaningful, and actionable.

We’d love to connect with you!

Visit our website at www.dataconnectcorp.com for more info, as well as our social links.

WE EVENT PLANNERS

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