The Tradeshow Coach

Why bother with trade shows?

Trade shows are hard. Let's face it, trade shows are hard. They're expensive, they take a lot of work, and I'm not even sure if it works. So why even go?

But did you know trade show leads close in fewer sales calls than field leads?

Face to face marketing is here to stay!

Why it's worth going

Be where the buyers are, show what the buyers want. Here is what that looks like, with the research behind it. These figures come from named studies by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR).

  1. Face-to-face access to buyers who'd never take a cold call. In 2008, CEIR found that 77 percent of qualified attendees are new prospects for the exhibiting company. In 2012, CEIR found that 45 percent of attendees visit only one exhibition a year, so many of these buyers will not be at the next show you skip.
  2. Concentrated lead capture: a few days at a show instead of months of outreach. In 2009, CEIR found the first face-to-face meeting with a prospect cost $96 at an exhibition, versus $1,039 to identify and meet that prospect in the field. (The Cost-Effectiveness of Exhibition Participation, Parts I and II)
  3. Qualify leads in depth, right at the show. In 2012, CEIR found 94 percent of attendees have a say in the purchase: they specify, recommend, determine need, influence, or make the final decision. In 2018, CEIR found 98 percent of attendees come to shop, and 36 percent come intending to make a purchase.
  4. A higher closing ratio. CEIR found about half of attendees plan to buy one or more products they saw at the show: 56 percent in 2007, and at or above 50 percent every year from 1972 through 2007. (CEIR, data through 2007, reported 2009)
  5. Trade show leads take far less time to close than traditional leads. In that same 2009 CEIR study, show leads closed in 3.5 sales calls on average, versus 4.5 for field-sales leads. Closing a sale from a show lead cost $2,188, versus $3,102 from a field lead.

Attract, Engage, CONNECT!

Fractional trade show marketing

Carlo Seta is a fractional (part-time, outsourced) trade show marketing manager. With 20+ years in the trade show industry, a graphic design degree, and his own trade show company, he helps teams with exhibit design, front-end consulting and strategy, pre-show promotion, and post-show follow-up.

He has worked with Procter & Gamble, Amazon, Nike, the U.S. Army, Apple Computer, NetSpend and Western Southern Life, and has worked exhibits across the U.S., Europe including Germany, and China.

In 2024, CEIR reported that exhibitors' top objectives are sales lead generation, branding, and relationship management, and that 81 percent of exhibitors evaluate how well their attendee engagement works. Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up. That is where a lot of the value is won or lost.

Common questions

Why bother with trade shows if they cost so much?
Trade show leads close in fewer sales calls than field leads. In 2009, CEIR found the first face-to-face meeting with a prospect cost $96 at an exhibition, versus $1,039 to identify and meet that prospect in the field, and that show leads closed in 3.5 calls on average versus 4.5 for field-sales leads. Closing a sale from a show lead cost $2,188, versus $3,102 from a field lead.
Are trade show attendees actually buyers?
In 2012, CEIR found 94 percent of attendees have a say in the purchase: they specify, recommend, determine need, influence, or make the final decision. CEIR also found about half of attendees plan to buy one or more products they saw at the show (56 percent in 2007, and at or above 50 percent every year from 1972 through 2007). In 2018, CEIR found 98 percent of attendees come to shop, and 36 percent come intending to make a purchase.
Will I just see people my sales team already knows?
Not usually. In 2008, CEIR found 77 percent of qualified attendees are new prospects for the exhibiting company. In 2012, CEIR found 45 percent of attendees visit only one exhibition a year, so many of these buyers will not be at the next show you skip.
What does a fractional trade show marketing manager do?
Carlo Seta is a fractional (part-time, outsourced) trade show marketing manager. He helps teams with exhibit design, front-end consulting and strategy, pre-show promotion, and post-show follow-up. In 2024, CEIR reported that exhibitors' top objectives are sales lead generation, branding, and relationship management, and that 81 percent of exhibitors evaluate how well their attendee engagement works.

Latest articles

Strategy, booth craft, and floor-ready advice.