Photo: Cocktail Masters

Sales are crucial to having a successful event. We wanted to share some methods we have found to be effective ways to maximize our event sales pipeline at special events and shows. Here are 5 tips to ensure success at events and shows.

1)   Plan your event sales process. Too many event professionals do not take the time to plan their event sales process. Focusing on operational factors and more often that have very little impact and offer very low engagement. Make sure to plan every stage of the sale that may take place at the event.

2)    Sales staff should contact guests within 48 hours of event.  Thank them and ask for product feedback.  Make sure to ask something about what they like or dislike about your products.  Take notice of their enthusiasm and interest.

3)    Event planning staff should meet immediately after the event.  Post event planning is just as important as pre show planning. Make sure to meet with event staff after any event to ensure messaging aligns with the needs of the customers that visited your booth at the show.

4)   Nurture all sales leads within a 3 month period.  Staying in regular touch with them will be (a) impressive, (b) show an unprecedented level of customer service (c) Remind the customer about the product and any discount opportunities that may be expiring.

5)   Build a sales pipeline.   Your event sales should be a critical part of the strategic planning process before you even begin to look at the operational management. If you want to get your strategic event sales planning off to the best start by building a great pipeline.

The other great thing about this strategy?   A good pitch makes it SO easy for a customer to walk up to your booth and place an order. If that doesn’t take place right then and there you have a plan in place to nurture that lead into a sale later on because of thorough planning.

We all know how hard it can be to land sales or even just get the names and contacts of attendees that attend your booth at special events and shows.  I’m not suggesting that you’ll reach every single prospect, but a plan like this properly executed can make a huge difference.

As event professionals and event managers we all know that every successful special event is the result of tireless and timely planning and preparation. The same then applies when looking at the event sales process, and it’s vital that you give yourself the time to allow for clear headed decision making and preparation from the offset if you want to see the best results.