More than 88500 visitors and over 2400 exhibitors confirm this statement. The figures are impressive evidence of how much the face-to-face-modus was missed. The event has proved once again that trade fairs build an indispensable part of your marketing mix.
But your success does not depend alone on the way you have presented your company, your products, and your services at the fairgrounds. More than 50 percent of your overall success depends on the follow-up after the fair. So half of a successful battle is still ahead.

Follow-up to a trade fair

Let´s present a few thoughts about the necessary steps :

1.  A successful follow-up to a trade fair has to start already during the fair. A cornerstone for your next steps should be built by a complete list of all the contacts you could establish during the fair. Detailed protocols are required. The more facts you have about the content and the quality of your talks, the easier it will be for you to start a tailor-made dialog after the fair. Use all the details of the data you got from your potential client or business partner.
2. Don´t waste your chance. Be aware that most of your contacts have talked to your competitors as well. So, time is a crucial factor. Keep in mind that most of your potential clients have not made a final decision yet. If you haven´t digitalized your contacts immediately during the fair, do it directly after returning home.
3. Plan enough staff, software capacities, etc., and fix a budget for all your follow-up measures.
4. Get a clear structure of your next steps. Decide upon the question of who should do what in your company now. Which goals do you want to achieve? Decide upon your arguments and your distribution goals. You are well advised to transform your data into categories (potential clients, existing customers, business partners). Create a priority list of who should be contacted first. Develop a pattern of whom to address in a personal dialog, not only in writing.
5. Try to initiate that your potential clients or partners react. Be prepared to answer asap. If you have made specific statements or even promises then stick to them. Read and listen to your partners carefully and react reliably. Your customers are a vital source of your information. Keep in mind that your market is transparent. Try to turn your expectation into customers and finally into your ambassadors.
6. Decide upon how to integrate all means of social media in order to establish a permanent dialogue with all the contacts you made during the fair. But, customers are picky. If the information you give is not attractive, they will vanish. So, permanently asked yourself, if another message really contains something new. The decision about a proper frequency is vital.
7. You should in a few months evaluate all the results you gained. Organize a team meeting for all your staff. Try to figure out what went well and what went wrong. At the end of this process, you should have a clear view of where to find room for improvements, simply to make your next trade fair even more successful.
   
   

We hope all exhibitors and visitors turned home safely. See you again next year at the Mobile World Congress 2024 in Barcelona.