Four ways to make the most out of trade show attendee databases

When used effectively, a trade show’s attendee list can be a powerful tool, driving attendees to your booth at the show and providing a quick way to contact those you might have missed on the show floor.

Four ways to take advantage of the list at your next show:

1. Keep It Real. Be sure the messaging is right. Bosch Power Tools and Accessories keeps pre-show mailers focused squarely on Bosch product and tries to set realistic expectations for what attendees will find at the exhibit. “We’re trying to stick with info that’s relevant,” says Wade Reilly, the company’s manager-marketing communications. “It makes more sense to interact with them on things we’re experts on—rather than some kind of gimmicky promotion just to get them to the booth.”

2. Targeting. Instead of sending mass emails to all attendees at the Consumer Electronics Show, Pentax Imaging sponsored an e-newsletter that the Consumer Electronics Association sent to attendees who indicated an interest in digital imaging. “We didn’t receive a pre-show mailing list... but we did get our message to 23,000 prospects in a targeted area,” says Bob McGrath, Pentax trade show manager. (The effort gave Pentax links from the newsletter to its web site.)

3. More Than Just Traffic. While Hewlett-Packard uses pre-show mailers to drive attendees to the show, it also uses them as an opportunity to gauge brand awareness. The brand includes a set list of brand-image questions in mailings before an event, then checks back post-show with prospects who visited the booth to determine if their awareness or opinion of the brand changed, says HP trade show manager Glenda Brungardt.

4. Post-show. Sending mass emails after a show isn’t a priority—but the list still might carry some weight. Logic chip maker Altera mines the list for attendees who fit the company’s customer profile but either didn’t visit the booth or aren’t already clients. “The list is turned over to our sales force, and they analyze it to find out which people are customers,” says Zoe Matlock, the company’s senior trade show coordinator. “If they aren’t customers, [we try to find out] who they are using, and how we can help them.”