Metrics: the measure of our success, and the bane of our existence. We know we need them, but they often take more time to capture than the value they track, and sometimes if we’re not careful, they end up seeming like measurements of “sound and fury, signifying nothing.” But the fact remains that all businesses, including tradeshows and events, need meaningful and quantifiable ways to measure success. The trick is to pick a metric that represents real business impact, and is possible to measure without high-performance computing.
In the tradeshows and events industry, one of the most important key performance indicators (KPI) is the pre-registration to on-site conversion rate, sometimes called ‘pre-reg to reg.’ This indicator measures the percentage of people who pre-register and then actually show up to attend the show. As you might imagine, this is the best way to track how well the event marketing tactics are succeeding at converting ‘interest’ into ‘commitment.’ Most trade shows are either free or very low cost to attend, so getting registrants through the door is the only way to provide value to your exhibitors, where the bulk of tradeshow profit comes from.
So, how does InGo help shows increase this important KPI? Here are three simple tips, that have a major impact.
1. Feature the Who’s In Widget Prominently on Your Website
Humans are social and we would all rather attend an event with our friends and colleagues than by ourselves. Registrants who are browsing your website for information are much more likely to make it a priority to actually attend if they can see the faces of those in their networks who will also be there.
And this does not just apply to their friends; while it’s more fun to attend a trade show with your friends, it is more valuable to go to an event where you can network with your industry counterparts. Featuring the Who’s In widget prominently allows registrants to see who they’ll benefit from meeting or who they want to reconnect with at your show, giving them extra motivation to get out of the office and into your event.
2. Feature the Invites Tab on Your Registration Confirmation Page
Take the social and professional motivation up another notch by featuring the Invites tab of the Social Widget on your registration confirmation page. Our socially-smart relevancy algorithm will select the six of their contacts most likely to enjoy your event and feature them. This allows a prospect who has just completed registration for your event to invite people she knows to go with her. Now, not only is your registrant excited to see the people she invited, she has just committed herself to being on-site to socialize and network with them.
Bonus: Since Who’s In is just a tab click away, you are also getting its conversion benefits here as well!
3. Send Them a Social Email
I might be starting to sound like a broken record on social emails, but the truth is they work! Much of the world is on social media and that number is growing but most people still live and work primarily in their Inboxes. Social emails can be tailored to feature the best of Who’s In and Personal Invites to draw the remaining sector of your target audience who are still email focused into your social campaign.
Does it work? Check out the Pre-reg to Reg KPI the show director for Business Travel Show got to report in this case study. That’s a business metric anyone would love to report.
