Event Audits, Surveys and Integrated Media Reporting: An Insightful Approach

1. Event Audits, Surveys and Integrated Media Reporting: An Insightful Approach

2. Today’s Panel Glenn Hansen Skip Cox Glenda Brungardt

3. Agenda • Why this topic? • What is an audit? • What is a survey? • Using audit and survey data to plan your exhibits and make better decisions • Q&A

4. Our promise to you: You will learn how to: • Request a comprehensive data package of show management. • Validate to the CMO your decision to participate in a particular event. • Integrate reports of top line data for analysis of total market coverage.

5. Why this topic? Today, exhibitors and management need better & more solid information to make strategic & tactical decisions re: • …at which shows to exhibit, • …how to effectively reach the target audience before, at, and after the face-to-face encounter.

6. “Businesses are about securing revenue producing customers keeping these customers, and growing profitable revenue…” • Source: BMA Newsletter, Laura Patterson, Vision Edge Marketing

7. “Marketing is unable to link many of its activities to either motivating prospects to buy, customers buying more product or making more referrals. Marketing cannot provide strategic advice as to which activities and or programs matter.” • Source: BMA Newsletter, Laura Patterson, Vision Edge Marketing

8. Spend must be linked to impact - Marketers need to track: • Activity Based Metrics • # of attendees • # of leads • Operational Performance Metrics • Cost per lead • Improve organizational effectiveness • ROI or ROO • Outcome Based Metrics • Resulting change in share of market

9. Exhibitor Decision Making Understanding Corporate Markets and Marketing Objectives ` Show Selection/Investment Set Objectives Attendee Profile Develop Strategy Develop Tactics Exhibit Performance Measurement Improve Performance

10. What is an Audit? • Independent, third party certification of verified attendee numbers and demographics collected in the registration process - Census based(not a survey)

11. Pre-Show • Organizer completes a questionnaire that facilitates understanding of their registration and verification methods • Pre-show check of registration data format • “Seeding” of database for post-show review

12. At-Show • Auditor registers and attends the event • Observations are made to check validity of verification process • Security checks are performed for entering exhibit hall and conference sessions • Exhibition space can be audited on request

13. Post-Show • Review of full database with duplication checkand verification of all stats based on attendee registration database • Confirm all reported data is accurate before counting by interviewing a cross-section sample of the verified universe • Create a report that organizers can share publicly with exhibitor clients

14. Registration data audit: What is reported? • Total attendance • exhibition attendees • conference attendees • media and analysts • speakers • exhibitor/show support staff • 5-year history of attendance Net attendance Total attendance

15. What is reported? (cont.) • Event location, date, and frequency • Market served and target attendee description • Attendee demographic data based on questions asked on registration form • Exhibitors can have an impact on what is reported by giving organizers feedback • Attendee geographic data • Registration and fee policy (reg. form)

16. Registration data audit: Optional exhibitor data • Number of exhibiting companies • Net space analysis (square feet/meters used) • Net paid space analysis (square feet/meters sold)

17. What is a Survey? • Typically provides more in-depth analysis of attendees (buying power, audience activity, strategic planning, competitive analysis, etc.) • Sample based – representative of attendees, but does not certify attendance nor demographics collected in registration process

18. Attendee Survey Information • Audience Quality: • Product interest • Buying plans • Buying influence levels (final say, specify supplier, recommend, no role) • Dollar volume of planned expenditures for type products exhibited • Size of company (number of employees) • Miles traveled to attend

19. Attendee Survey Information • Audience Activity Characteristics: • History of attendance at exhibition • Other exhibitions attended and percentage who attend no other events • Number of hours and days spent viewing exhibits • Traffic density

20. Attendee Survey Information • Attendee Satisfaction: • Reasons for attending • Overall value of exhibition based on reasons for attending

21. Using Audit and Survey Data to Plan Your Exhibits and Make Better Decisions

22. Is Exhibiting Justified? Estimating Size of Potential Audience at Show: Net Attendance ( * ) Target Audience (demos from audit) x % Interested x (product interest from survey) = Potential Audience *Excludes exhibitor personnel, press, speakers 3,781 1,776 .31 550

23. Is Exhibiting Justified? • Other Factors to Consider: • Profile of largest exhibitors • Profile and history of competitors exhibiting • Trends in show statistics (health of show) • Geographical distribution of audience • Attendance promotion efforts • Traffic Density

24. What Investment Is Justified? • Number of personnel needed: • Potential Audience ( ) Avg. No. of Vis./Hour ( ) = Total Show Hours ( ) 550 28 20 Avg. No. of Vis./Hr. ( )No. of Pers. Needed ( ) = Salespersons Rate/Hr. ( ) 28 4 7

25. Less Face to Face Interaction Staff Interaction Rate (SIR)(Personal Contact Achieved With Prospects Attracted) SIR Industrial 55% Medical 62% Retail 54% Hi Tech 50%

26. What Investment Is Justified? Amount of exhibit space needed: Open Space ( ) = No. of Personnel ( ) x 50 sq. ft. Total Space ( ) = Open Space ( ) + Occupied Space ( )

27. Ideal Traffic Density in Exhibit 10’ 10’ 10’ 10’ Td = 6.0 Td = 4.0 = Booth Personnel = Visitors

28. What Investment Is Justified? Amount of exhibit space needed: Open Space ( ) = No. of Personnel ( ) x 50 sq. ft. Total Space ( ) = Open Space ( ) + Occup. Space ( ) 200 4 200 200 400

29. What Investment Is Justified? Other Factors to Consider: • Average size of ten largest exhibitors • Size of competitors’ exhibits

30. Benefits to Exhibitors • Plan more effective exhibits to attract and reach specific targets • Enhance ROI & ROO • Market products/brands more effectively • Launch new products wisely • Identify opportunities for generating more leads • Provides independent third-party attendee census and survey data needed to justify the expense to CMO’s

31. Benefits to Organizers • Identify potential new revenue and cost-cutting opportunities • Consult with exhibitors to identify ways of maximizing their ROI: • matchmaking opportunities for exhibitors and target segments; • identifying new attendee segments or missed potential within existing ones; • sales teams provide exhibitors with profiles of their clients.

32. Benefits to Organizers • Increase attendee value at the event: • targeting the right mix of exhibitors; • understanding products of higher interest to attendees; • developing conference content and networking opportunities with exhibitors and other attendees

33. Benefits to Organizers • Plan and market the exhibition more effectively • new pavilions, • new vertical attendee segments to drive and launch new attractions/ features

34. Integrated Media Solutions • But marketing spend must be linked to business impact. • Exhibiting spend is only one form of marketing spend. • An integrated solution is needed for greatest impact on the target audience before, during and after a face-to-face encounter

35. Integrated Media Solutions • Marketers should look for 3rd party verification of the quality and quantity of audience in all forms of spend. • For total solution media companies, the Integrated Media Report is the total solution measurement.

36. Integrated Media Solutions • More organizers will move to relational database management for better marketing of their own brands • Exhibitors should take advantage of integrated messaging pre-, at- and post-show to maximize ROO/ROI

37. Where You can Find Reports • Public audit reports can be found on: • BPA Worldwide web site – www.bpaww.com • Exhibit Surveys web site - www.exhibitsurveys.com/audits • Exhibition & Event Industry Audit Commission (EEIAC) web site - www.exhibitionaudits.org

38. Reports Section

39. Reports Section

40. Reports Section

41. HP’s View on Measurement

42. Is measurement important and why? • Critical • Event marketing managers and teams now perform more complex roles – more strategic vs. logistic

43. Is measurement important and why? • Metrics help identify performance improvement opportunities and identify strengths and weaknesses in program • Used for strategic decision-making when making investment and selection decisions • Help us set objectives for future events that align with overall objectives and BU initiatives

44. What types of measurement are important and why? • Both quantitative and qualitative • Combination of: • Activity Based Metrics • # of attendees • # of leads • # meetings tracked • # impressions • Operational Performance Metrics • Cost per lead • Improve organizational effectiveness • ROI or ROO • Outcome Based Metrics • Resulting change in share of market • Booth staff perceptions, impact of messaging - brand and event specific, did-you-buy studies, etc.

45. What are the benefits from measurement? • Consistency • Accountability • Enhances decision making • Helps to identify how to effectively reach the target audience before, at, and after the face-to-face encounter

46. Why audited numbers? • Behind exhibiting costs – measurement or metrics is the second biggest issue we face • Limited budgets force exhibitors to focus even more heavily on ROI/ROO achieved from trade show participation • Standardized, independently derived data verifying attendance enables us to make informed decisions about where to spend their trade show program dollars

47. More specifically – HP’s use of audited data • A third party audit allows me to have the confidence that show management is delivering the audience they sold me on • Unaudited shows allow me to assume that the published attendance figures are inflated • This data impacts investment in a show - might not affect decision to go but impacts total investment • With audited numbers, I can more accurately calculate ROI/ROO from an event • I am more likely to purchase promotions and sponsorships when the numbers are substantiated • Attendee demographic data • Attendee geographic data • Event location, date, and frequency • Market served and target attendee description • 5-year history of attendance • Number of exhibitors • List of exhibitors

48. More specifically – HP’s use of survey data • Helps me determine the value we derive from our participation • Make better investment decisions and maximize those investments when I can target my promotions and sponsorships to the attendee if I know: • Product interest • Buying plans • Buying influence levels (final say, specify supplier, recommend, no role) • Dollar volume of planned expenditures for type products exhibited • Size of company (number of employees) • History of attendance at exhibition • Number of hours and days spent viewing exhibits • Traffic density • Plan more effective exhibit

49. BUT….. • The measurement of return on investment (ROI) and return on objectives (ROO) is up to me as an exhibitor. If I am not able to measure and document this then HP’s decision for future participation may be jeopardized.

50. Standard Audience Verification • Over the past few years there has been a push in the IT industry lead by CEMA (the Corporate Event Marketing Association) to make standardized independent audits the de facto standard audience verification process in the technology trade show industry. • Those efforts have payed off as approximately 75% of all major I.T. trade shows now conduct independent audits.