Trade Show Tech from SmartSource Rentals

Does your company or business attend or exhibit at any of the estimated 10,000 Trade Shows each year in the U.S.?

The following article will touch on some popular technology that is currently available for exhibitors at trade shows & conventions. This technology helps ensure the highest possible return on your trade show investment by attracting attendees to your booth, providing them relevant information, and collecting contact info for follow up after the show.

Lead Retrieval

One of the main reasons for exhibiting at a trade show is to gather leads from attendees in the hopes that it will turn into future business. While it is still common to exchange business cards & phone numbers, lead retrieval devices are quickly becoming a preferred method to quickly gather an attendee's contact information digitally. Most lead retrieval units use a bar code scanner or card swiper to read an attendee's registration badge. When an attendee visits the booth of an exhibitor, the exhibitor can quickly scan or swipe the person's badge and their contact information will be recorded instantly.

There are a few key advantages to using lead retrieval technology at your next trade show. The biggest advantage is that all of the information is digital, allowing you to import all the contact info gathered during the show directly into a spreadsheet or existing company database. This eliminates the need to manually enter info from business cards or notepads and saves a lot of time. It also gives you the ability to e-mail or upload information from a show to your main office or off-site sales representatives for follow up immediately after the show.

Lead retrieval technology also benefits the staff working at your booth by allowing them more time to meet with attendees and less time writing down contact info or keeping track of business cards. Larger companies, such as SmartSource Rentals, also offer custom qualifier options should you want to measure specific types of leads, as well as both handheld wireless & desktop options allowing your staff to move around the floor should they choose.

Digital Document Library

Almost every visitor to your booth will have different needs and be looking for information that is specific to their situation. A digital document library is a new technology resource that gives attendees access to information directly relevant to their needs, in a variety of delivery options. The digital document library consists of files chosen by you or your company (PDF's, spreadsheets, documents, etc.) that visitors can browse through on a touch screen kiosk, large monitor, or computer the same way you might browse for books at a bookstore. When a visitor finds a document they want, they are able to get that document in a variety of ways - print on demand, download to USB stick, upload to web/e-mail etc.

A digital document library is also a green trade show solution that can save you money by avoiding the high printing, shipping, and disposal costs of traditional print materials. You also have the ability to track which documents are being accessed by attendees of your show, allowing you to see trends or focus on specific offerings. This library can be a powerful tool for trade shows and conventions that often have a variety of visitors with different needs.

SmartSource Computer & AV Rentals provides a wide range of technology services & solutions Nationwide with over 22 locations.

Travis Melvin, SmartSource Rentals