I was browsing through LinkedIn Answers today and came across a question from one of my contacts, Dan Ake,  “What is your biggest issue regarding conference sales?”  There were a number of answers posted, but one really stood out:

“My experience as a conference exhibitor is that the attendees have much more opportunity to network and make connections than do the exhibitors, and for a small fraction of the cost of being an exhibitor. If the purpose is to make new connections, being an attendee is the most cost effective approach.” (Glenn Jenkinson)

Why this particular answer?  Because it’s clear that the organizers at the conferences where Mr. Jenkinson has been exhibiting are missing an opportunity to create value for their exhibitors AND their attendees:  Pre-scheduled 1×1 meetings.

How much more valuable would the conference be, if Mr. Jenkinson arrived on-site knowing that he had 5, 10, 15 pre-scheduled meetings set up with interested attendees?  He would still have to deal with the folks who are just coming by his booth for the freebies, but at the end of the event he would have had meaningful face-to-face meetings with some number of qualified sales prospects and/or business partners.

We all know that attendees and exhibitors both find face to face interaction on the tradeshow floor to be important in the process of finding vendors, evaluating vendors and making the purchase decision.   With pre-scheduled 1×1 meetings, both attendees and exhibitors can be assured that they will have meaningful interactions as a result of attending the conference.

Want to know more about how you can incorporate 1×1 meetings into your next conference?  Send us an email: meetings@twst.com