Lead generation technology is one of the most important services for an exposition, it gives depth to encounters on the show floor and enables business connections to last beyond a brief interaction. For show planners, exhibiting companies and attendees alike, these systems can convert into dollar signs and valuable services.

Kyle Welch, vice president of finance and administration for Hanley Wood Exhibitions, says her shows are using two systems to receive a steady flow of leads—their CONNECT Network is used before and after an event and a traditional lead unit in a mobile phone platform is used during the show.

According to Hanley Wood’s Web site, the CONNECT Network is an online networking tool that allows attendees and exhibitors to communicate directly with each other and prepare for the show. Exhibitors can update their online listing and add upgraded content as well as network with attendees that match their products and services. Attendees can create a printable list of exhibitors they want to visit and send messages and request appointments with exhibitors.

“It’s a matchmaking tool,” Welch says. “We’ve had the system now for about three years and we’re seeing consistent increases each year in the usage. At this point, as far as exhibitors, we’ve got about 41 percent of exhibitors using the product.”

During an event Hanley Wood utilizes Experient’s SWAP—a mobile phone application lead retrieval unit, in addition to traditional lead generation models.

“For the past two shows we used the new SWAP technology. It’s pretty interesting,” Welch says. “It allows the exhibitors to have that attendee lead information almost immediately instead of having to wait until after the show to download and get the information if they want to reach out and contact those people.”

So far, these products have been well received. “We’ve got on an extremely good feedback on the SWAP,” Welch says. “I know the usage was up dramatically.”

Essentially, the SWAP product is a mobile version of the traditional lead retrieval unit and it can be downloaded on a typical smartphone. It allows exhibitors to capture leads not only on site but also in a hotel lobby, restaurant or shuttle bus. According to Hanley Wood, about 30 percent of the leads generated from this product are actually out of show hours, turning lead retrieval into a 24-hour system.

The IMTS 2010 show used Convention Data Services’ X-Press RealTimer lead retrieval unit and the XPress LeadKey II. The X-Press RealTimer is a handheld unit is a prospecting tool that allows for customized surveys and qualifiers to identify contacts for follow-up.  It provides instant uploads to a password-protected Web site that allows exhibitors to access leads from anywhere at any time.

The XPress LeadKey II used at the 2010 event was an enhanced PC-based lead retrieval solution.  The software allows multiple choice questions and provides exhibitors the ability to change scanned data and print a scanned lead around a pre-printed lead form for entry later on. 80 percent of exhibitors use lead retrieval units on the show floor, most with the XPress products.

For the 2012 event the show plans to have a mobile unit available for exhibitors. “I think they’re all headed for a way to do it in a mobile platform,” says Michelle Edmonson, exhibitions operations manager for IMTS. “In a way to do it where you can have your own equipment and if companies don’t get on that bandwagon I think they’re going to be at a loss because people like to use their own things and like to be able download things to their own units and not have a different unit—they don’t want to carry around three or four things—I think that’s where it’s all going.”

One obstacle Hanley Wood has had with the mobile units is education. “Training has been the biggest challenge, getting people up to speed on how to use it,” says Welch, adding, “I think one of the challenges we have with all of these is with all the different types of mobile devices—there’s not really an industry standard so when you’re developing something you’re having to develop it for so many different products.”

Both women feel that RFID technologies are the direction of the lead generation future.

“RFID has a lot of potential but it’s just extremely expensive so trying to find a way to make it more affordable so it can be utilized (for shows),” Welch says. “As far as where [lead generation is] headed, one of the things we’re trying to look for is seamless integration of all of these products.”
For Edmonson, RFID may not be the place of the future, just yet.

“We’re not using RFID yet, I haven’t been convinced that it’s good for our show yet,” she says. “We’re in the infancy of maybe using lead devices to enter the show hall, but it won’t be RFID.”