How to do Lead Generation at Conferences?

Conferences are full of goldmine opportunities for businesses looking to generate valuable leads and forge meaningful connections. 

However, effectively benefiting from this potential requires a well-thought-out lead-generation strategy tailored specifically for conference environments.

Not sure where to start? Not a problem.

Join us as we show you 13 tips to lead generation for conferences.

Let’s dive in!

4 Main Benefits of Lead Generation for Conferences

Attending conferences can be a valuable opportunity for businesses to generate leads and expand their network. 

With a diverse range of attendees, industry experts, and potential clients all in one place, conferences offer numerous benefits for lead generation:

• Showcasing products or services - Engage with potential customers directly and demonstrate the value and unique features of your offerings.
• Fostering networking opportunities - Connect with like-minded professionals by participating in panel discussions or attending networking events.
• Getting valuable insights and knowledge sharing - Attend conferences to enhance industry knowledge and also position businesses as thought leaders within their field.
• Building relationships on a personal level -  Actively engage with attendees during breaks or social events and establish trust. 

13 Tips for Effective Lead Generation for Conferences

1. Set Clear Goals

Before attending a conference, it's important to have a clear understanding of what you hope to achieve in terms of lead generation. 

Are you looking to collect contact information? 

Or do you want to schedule follow-up meetings? 

Setting specific goals will help guide your strategy. 

For example:

✨ Decide on the number of leads you want to generate, 

✨ The type of leads you're targeting, and

✨ The specific information you want to collect from them.

Note: Set realistic goals, especially if you aren’t a widely recognized business.

2. Research Your Target Audience

Study the conference agenda and attendee list beforehand to identify potential prospects and key decision-makers from companies you're interested in.

This way, you can prioritize your interactions and maximize your time at the event.

Furthermore, if you are the one hosting an event, this step is even more essential. Asking the right pre-event questions can immensely help you narrow down the audience.

Remember, bigger isn’t always better - it’s all about proper matching, not your audience's size.

3.  Choose the Right Conferences

Not all conferences are created equal when it comes to lead generation opportunities. 

Therefore, it's crucial to research and select events that attract your target audience and align with your industry or niche.

Focusing on relevant conferences will increase the likelihood of connecting with potential leads.

4. Create an Enticing Booth or Exhibit

Your booth is often the first impression attendees will have of your company, so make sure it stands out! 

The good news? Your booth doesn’t have to cost a lot or be flashy. The crucial aspect is to match your brand and the message you want to convey. 

Thus, depending on your overall event aim, you can choose from various types of visuals, such as banners or signage to convey your brand message effectively. Furthermore, by using bold branding, eye-catching graphics, and interactive elements you can draw people in and spark their interest. 

Of course, the rules aren’t set in stone, and a lot will depend on your brand, but try not to “kill” your booth by cluttering it up with too many logos, visuals, text, etc.

Moreover, there is one more aspect you perhaps didn’t consider - the position of your booth. Again, it will depend on your preference, but here are a few options:

✨ Near the food/beverage corner - Usually, there’s a lot of “traffic” around these areas.

✨ At the corners or near the entrance - The visibility is better in these spots.

✨ Close to your competitors -  A nice way to attract a shared target audience.

Regardless of the preference, bear in mind that good spots run out quickly. Thus, if you do have a spot in mind,  book it well in advance.

5. Offer Incentives

Provide incentives to encourage attendees to visit your booth. 

For example, offer giveaways, freebies, contests, or exclusive discounts. 

These incentives can capture attention and help initiate conversations with potential leads. 

However, be careful - some people are only into conferences because of the giveaways. 

In other words, they are the so-called tire kickers and aren’t really interested in buying your product, or any product for that matter.

Thus, the easier you spot them, the less time you’ll waste. 

6.  Engage with Attendees

One of the most effective ways to generate leads is through networking. 

Thus, take the opportunity to connect with attendees, speakers, and exhibitors during breaks or networking sessions.

For example, you can visit other booths, introduce yourself and strike up a conversation.

In addition, you can also engage with attendees that come to visit your booth. Ask open-ended questions related to their industry or the challenges they face. 

This way, you can establish rapport and better understand their needs.

Note: The staff at your booth is your brand’s representative, so choose them wisely. You need communicative, assertive and friendly staff.

7. Deliver Informative Content

Prepare informative and valuable content to share with attendees by offering unique and valuable insights that the audience can't easily find elsewhere.

And the range of what you can provide is really wide: brochures, case studies, whitepapers, industry reports that showcase your expertise, etc. 

Thus, valuable content can position your brand as a thought leader and generate leads.

However, delivering informative conference content is not just about showcasing your knowledge. 

It is also about connecting with the audience and leaving a lasting impact on their understanding and perspective.

Tip: Prepare downloadable resources attendees can access by providing their email addresses.

8. Grab a Speaking Opportunity

If you have the chance to speak at a conference, seize it! 

Delivering a compelling presentation not only establishes you as an expert but also attracts potential leads who resonate with your message. 

What’s more, be sure to include a call-to-action at the end of your talk for attendees to reach out.

ProTip

Besides CTAs that are mainly on your last slide, you can set contact information to be part of your presentation.

All you do is create Tapni profile for free and set your digital profile’s QR code to be part of your slides.

This way it will be much easier for you to share the relevant info with the attendees, and they can access it on their will anytime.

9. Do Interactive Activities

Incorporating fun and engaging activities into your conference presence can pique interest and encourage participation from attendees -  ultimately generating more leads.

For example, you can create quizzes, polls, trivia, icebreakers, etc.

ProTip

Did you know you can use the QR code as a gamification tool? 

With Tapni, you can - the first person to scan the QR code and provide some info from your profile gets a small reward.

10. Leverage Social Media 

Social media can be a powerful tool for generating buzz around your presence at a conference and attracting potential leads even before they step foot inside the venue. 

Leverage social media platforms to amplify your presence before, during, and after the conference.

To do that successfully, you can:

💡 Use event hashtags, 

💡 Post teasers about what attendees can expect from visiting your booth or session, 

💡 Share updates throughout the event.

💡 Share photos, and 

💡 Share insights from the event. 

ProTip

You can easily share any social media you want by simply including it on your Tapni profile.

All you do is hit “Edit profile” and include social media channels that you want to share.

You can also create a custom link, specifically tailored for the event where attendees can see all the latest updates and info.

11. Collect Contact Information

Have a streamlined process for collecting attendees' contact information. 

Therefore, use lead capture tools such as business card scanners or mobile apps to gather their details efficiently.

ProTip

Did you know that with Tapni, you can scan all the info from traditional paper business cards?  

All the scanned info will be automatically sent to your CRM, and then you can further regroup and tag your new contacts.

12. Follow Up Promptly

An effective follow-up is just as important as initial engagement, so follow up with the leads you've gathered before the connection gets cold.  

Furthermore, prompt follow-ups increase the chances of converting leads into customers. 

You can go for personalized messages or emails expressing gratitude for their time and expressing further interest in collaborating.

ProTip

You can automate the follow-up process with Tapni’s follow-up reminder. 

Just navigate to your contacts list, choose the contacts you want to follow up, and hit “Follow up Reminder”

 

Set the time period in which you want to follow them(e.g. In a week), and you’re done.

13. Measure and Evaluate

Perhaps not the only, but the most objective way to see the success of your goals ( remember step 1 ?) is to use analytics tools.

How can they help you?

• Monitor the number of leads generated,
• Monitor conversion rates,
• Monitor ROI, etc.

Therefore, they provide valuable data to refine your strategies for future conferences and improve your overall lead-generation efforts.

ProTip: Tapni app comes with a set of robust analytics tools providing precious insights into the event.

Wrapping It Up

Lead generation at conferences can be an incredibly effective strategy to expand your customer base and generate new leads. 

Furthermore, by attending conferences, you have the opportunity to connect with potential clients face-to-face and build relationships that can lead to long-term partnerships.

Digital solutions, such as Tapni, can help you make the process smoother and more automated, saving you precious time to focus on your business.

So, why Tapni?

Tapni is a digital solution tailored to boost networking in an easy yet efficient way.

Apart from providing fully-customizable digital business cards and accessories, Tapni will help you:

💣  Do Lead Generation Automation by sending attendees’ data directly to your CRM.

💣 Regroup attendees and move them to other groups back and forth. Moreover, you can use organize your contacts into lists and tag them further

💣 Follow up by scheduling a follow-up popping up on your phone as a reminder. 

💣 Automatically send a message to people who visited your profile.

💣 Get valuable event metrics with the help of actionable analytics tools to measure ROI at events, reward top performers, see the number of visits, etc.

💣 and so much more.

Ready to explore Tapni?

Download the Tapni app today and upgrade your networking game.

FAQ

1. What is B2B Lead Generation?

B2B lead generation is the process of identifying and attracting potential business customers and converting them into actual paying customers.

In addition, it often relies on a combination of marketing strategies and tactics, including content marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, etc. 

2. How Do You Capture Leads Quickly?

To capture leads quickly, you should have an attractive booth, provide valuable content and incentives, engage with attendees, and follow up promptly.

3. What Forms Capture Leads at Events?

Depending on your specific needs and resources you can benefit from:

• Paper-based forms
• Digital forms
• QR codes and scanning technology
• Business card collection:
• Smart badges using RFID/NFC technology 
• Social media integration.

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