Global Events: Developing X-Ray Vision — Part 3
Written by Juliano Goulart, Marketing Specialist at Tech West Canada
Part 3: Mastering the Outcome
In the previous parts of this series (Through The Looking Glass and Reducing the Noise) I talked about why tech events can be so important to tech companies. We took a deep dive into reducing noise and being laser-focused in order to achieve set goals. In the third and final part of this series, I’ll explain how to create an effective lead generation process for the show — from what tools are available to how to ethically hack the venue in your favour. I’ll also cover tracking, boosting connections and how to tie all these activities together to generate results for your company. Ready. Set. Let’s go.
EVERY BATTLE IS WON OR LOST BEFORE IT IS EVER FOUGHT.
This advice from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War refers to the preparation, positioning, and planning that is essential to winning at anything — from battles to business.
At Tech West Canada, we know that If you don’t arrive at an event prepared, you are unlikely to have a successful experience (and that’s a big part of our program). I’ve seen it up close in my own ventures and at the shows we attend.
The vast majority of tech companies that attend shows like MWC Los Angeles, MWC Barcelona, CES, etc., go to meet with other companies. The main reason they want to connect at one of these events is to establish new partnerships, find representatives in target countries, acquire new customers and so on.
There’s what you want to do, and then there’s how to do it. Do you simply walk the show floor and talk, going from booth to booth introducing yourself? Not really. Although this may work in some rare cases, that approach will usually get you nowhere. If your targets are mid-sized companies they’ll likely have sales reps standing at their booth trying to sell to whoever stops by. To save time and energy, you have to talk directly with the decision-maker, or at least the closest person to him or her.
Matchmaking
All global tech events offer some kind of attendee list and most of them offer an app you can download. These apps can be handy, and they can also be useless. The effectiveness of this particular tool varies from event to event.
But the app really is your best starting point. Usually you can filter attendees down by industry, country and sometimes even by company position. In most cases you can also chat with other attendees which is a great way to start the conversation. I won’t dive too deep here, but bear in mind that not all attendees download the app in advance so you will probably have to find additional ways to reach out to your targets.
Staying organized is also key. When you’re reaching out to people document everything. As the number of contacts gets higher it’s easy to lose track of who needs attention and when to follow up. Creating a workflow is very important. My tip is to use a simple Kanban board that will clearly show you what stage each contact is at in your outreach. Here’s an example:
HACKING THE VENUE
Ok, this one is not always possible and varies a lot from event to event.
If you’re going to exhibit your product and/or service, it can be possible to influence your space and position on the show floor. For instance, if you are attending a 3-day conference and you can only fully staff your exhibit for one day try to be featured in the first 2 days. Last days of shows are known for having much less traffic so you’ll have a better experience displaying on the busier, previous days.
But how can you influence your space? Well, by seeing where each industry is going to display. But a note of caution: Never lie to change your position. The idea here is to ethically hack the venue, which means exploring your company’s traits to enhance your experience. If your business is an Analytics tool with built-in AI, and the event will have AI exhibitors on the first day and Analytics exhibitors on the last day, consider applying as an AI company. Many big tech events that are more “generalists” have different spaces for companies exhibiting at the same time. If your company falls into two categories, choose the one that will allow you to display in a busier space.
Taking all of that into consideration, booth space can be prohibitively expensive and might not be the best way to stand out. So how, amid the sea of people and big brands with big budgets can you, a small-to-medium sized company, make your mark? Some entrepreneurs and marketers use creativity to compensate for the lack of budget. If the show you are attending is a more relaxed, informal and startup tech event, such as Web Summit, than there are a couple of things you can do to get noticed.
Dress creatively
Some companies go above and beyond to get noticed, like these guys in the picture below. They went all out to be seen, which could be good or bad depending on your brand. If you do differentiate your attire from the usual you’re more likely to be remembered, just make sure it’s for all the right reasons.
There are two advantages when wearing a customized uniform/attire. First, it helps you tell your story and builds intrigue. Second, it is a great conversation starter. Networking is tough, but necessary and starting off with a conversation starter can be a lifesaver.
Below is a picture of a shirt I wore at a tech show in Brazil back in 2014. I was representing one of the companies I founded: Reclamao.com, a platform that allowed consumers to post complaints about companies and get them quickly solved in a public and transparent way. Back then, the buzzy mantra Keep Calm and Carry On was at its peak. So, we combined that with our message to generate curiosity and visibility. And it worked.
Here’s a funny example of how creative marketers can be.
If you have booth space, you are one step ahead, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t get out of your comfort zone and do something different.
One of my favourite examples of this was when I saw a Brazilian startup called Rock Content rocked a tech show — pun intended. The company (who recently hit the $14M in ARR mark) purchased a relatively big show floor space at RD Summit, one of the busiest tech events in Latin America, and decided to make some noise giving away customized t-shirts to the crowd. All for the low (but very effective) price of your email address.
To date, it was the busiest booth I’ve ever seen.
Avengers, assemble!
Bring the team. The more people you can bring from your team the better. In a sea of people, teams become more visible. You become even more visible if you all wear the same thing. I remember a tech show I was at and every 5 minutes I would see a person with the same blue t-shirt and white hat. They’ve eventually become known as Smurfs throughout the conference — a title they wore with pride. It is also a good thing if you want to cover more ground, because you can simply divide and conquer. The more people you have, the more meetings you can take and the more conversations you can have. All of that will lead to a better outcome and your bottom line.
POST EVENTS SUPERPOWER
You’ve made the right moves, recognized the signals and captured your contacts and leads. All good, now you can rest. Just kidding! Now the work gets started again. This is one of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen companies make — putting in the work at the event, tracking all the leads and never doing the follow-up.
Although it is possible to close deals and partnerships at the venue, the majority of it happens AFTER the event itself. The reality is that the magic (in terms of results) happens three to six months after the event. That’s why following up with your leads is crucial. And remember, your lead probably met dozens if not hundreds of people during the conference, so reminding them of your existence (and why you matter to them) is a good idea. If you don’t do that, you risk falling into oblivion. Sent an email and got no response? Don’t give up that easily. Seriously. Here’s some data to show you what I mean.
Big tech events are huge for networking. You can meet more people in two days than you’ll meet in an entire year. The problem is how you retain all of that information. It’s a big task for the human brain to recall every single face you saw, and then the information linked to that face.
A simple, low-tech hack is to write notes on your new contact’s business card,. Another one is to take a quick picture of your lead (with their consent) and add detailed notes to it. Those details can make a difference when you’re reaching out to them after the show.
To sum it up, if done right, global tech events can be a powerful force on your business growth, and there’s overwhelming data to back that fact. Companies that have participated in Tech West Canada delegations have reported back $400M in investments and sales as a result of attending specific events — and we’re not even including this year’s numbers. We should probably start thinking of ways to celebrate when our delegates hit the $1B mark! =)
