Over half (56 percent) of attendees and over two-thirds (67 percent) of exhibitors say one-on-one exchanges are their preferred setting for face-to-face interactions at trade shows, according to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), which yesterday released the third in a series of reports culled from its landmark study, "The Role and Value of Face-to-Face Interaction." A distant second was product demonstrations, which were preferred by 20 percent of attendees and 19 percent of exhibitors.
The report, "Purchase Process and Customer Relationships," explores the value of face-to-face meetings at exhibitions during each stage of the customer continuum, including before, during and after a purchase is made.
According to CEIR, results suggest that exhibitions have the most value for attendees before and after a purchase: "More than a majority" of exhibitors and attendees said they place high importance on interacting face-to-face at all pre-purchase stages, while 63 percent and 76 percent of attendees and exhibitors, respectively, said they place high importance on post-purchase interactions for the purpose of maintaining relationships.
"This report provides a road map for exhibitors to understand attendee priorities, how to position information shared in face-to-face conversations with what is useful for attendees at the purchase stages they find important to discuss at exhibitions," said CEIR Research Director Nancy Drapeau. "It also clearly identifies the popularity of one-on-one interactions, which signals the importance of exhibitor training. Attendees want to meet the face or the people behind a company. This result suggests having the right staff with the right skill set and approach is essential to exhibiting success. An upcoming report will provide results relating to exhibit staff practices."