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Exhibitor Sales Lead Capture and
Follow-up Practice Trends
Overview
This report summarizes follow-up activities among exhibiting companies that capture leads at events. It
provides insights into what information is collected and by what methods. The follow-up process is evaluated in terms of which departments typically handle follow-up, which methods are used and ultimately whether leads are systematically tracked to determine their outcome.
Exhibitors are engaging in follow-up efforts, though all efforts are not equal. The report documents that exhibitors are engaging in a broad array of follow-up activities, from very basic to sophisticated.
Lead Capture Methods
Figure 1The two most common methods used to capture leads are lead retrieval systems offered by an organizer, 74 percent, or a paper-based lead form approach, 59 percent.
Custom lead retrieval and third party systems at small companies are rare, with five percent of those companies using this method.
Just 21 percent of the largest companies use third-party systems not affiliated with the exhibition organizer.
Figure 2
What information is typically captured for lead follow-up?
Respondent Organizations by Number of Employees
Base <20 20 to 99 100 to 499 500 or >
Base 198 41 49 49 47
Contact information and detail on product/
service interest 54% 59% 49% 63% 51%
Contact information, demographic profile, lead qualification questions and product/ service interest
30% 22% 27% 33% 38%
Contact information only 14% 20% 24% 4% 9%
Yellow shading indicates difference compared to one or more other company size categories.
For the majority of exhibitors, information collected from leads is limited to contact information and details on product or service interest.
Lead qualification at the point of capture is done by a minority of exhibitors, 30 percent.
The most basic lead capture approach, collecting an attendee’s contact information only, is more common among exhibitors at smaller companies, 20 percent with less than 20 employees and 24 percent with 20 to 99 employees.
Lead Follow-up Methods
Figure 3A notable finding is that exhibitors responding to the survey indicate that they follow up on leads collected at exhibitions. Exhibitors were presented with an extensive list of possible follow-up activities, from simple to more extensive.
For the majority of exhibitors, the most common lead follow-up methods are email or phone. Nearly two-thirds send emails tailored with product or service information addressing the attendee’s specific interests while 59 percent make this effort via phone. Nearly the same percentage, 56 percent send an email with generic product or service information.
A higher use of customized direct mail is evidenced among mid-sized companies. Forty-one percent of companies with 100 to 499 employees use direct mail with a letter addressing an attendee’s specific product/ service interests.
Exhibitors identify the most effective and used follow-up methods are those which tailor messaging to attendee product or service interests via phone, 27 percent, or email, 23
Who Handles Follow-up
Figure 4In general, the responsibility for lead follow-up has nearly an equal chance of falling to the sales or marketing headquarters, 45 percent and 39 percent respectively.
For over one-quarter, regional sales offices handle up; while 24 percent of exhibitors handle lead follow-up themselves.
Figure 5
Where Leads are Sent
Respondent Organizations by Number of Employees
Base <20 20 to 99 100 to 499 500 or >
Base 198 41 49 49 47
Sales – headquarters 45% 46% 61% 39% 30%
Marketing – headquarters 39% 27% 37% 43% 51%
Sales – regional office(s) 28% 17% 22% 33% 43%
Exhibiting staff handles, leads are not sent to
another department 24% 44% 16% 18% 19%
Marketing – regional office(s) 8% 2% 4% 8% 17%
Exhibitors at smaller companies are more likely to send leads to the sales headquarters (61 percent with 20 to 99 employees and 46 percent with fewer than 20 employees) or handle the follow-up themselves (44 percent with fewer than 20 employees).
Larger companies, on the other hand, are more apt to hand off leads to marketing headquarters (51 percent with 500+ employees) or distribute them to regional sales offices (43 percent with 500+ employees).
Timing of Follow-up
Figure 6Phone and email lead follow-up efforts are done very quickly, within two weeks following an event for over 70 percent of exhibitors using these methods.
Direct mail and in-person visits are more likely to be completed within one month of an event for most using these options.
Lead Tracking Efforts
Figure 7Description of Lead Tracking Tools Used N=198
CRM System 17%
Sales/Lead System 6%
Manual or Ad Hoc Process 4%
Excel/ Spreadsheet 3%
No Answer/No Comment 69%
Systematic lead tracking efforts remain elusive for most exhibitors. The most used lead tracking tools used by exhibitors at this time are Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, 17 percent, and sales/lead systems, six percent.
Conclusions
Study results indicate that gains have been made among exhibiting companies in terms of methods used to capture leads and follow-up methods.
The majority of exhibitors today now capture contact information as well as the particular product or service interests of attendees. Most still do not qualify leads at this first encounter. Given the availability of lead capture technology that enables exhibitors to ask questions that help them evaluate whether an individual is ‘qualified’ and worth pursuing, this technology is an area of opportunity for exhibitors to consider. Matching leads to an exhibition’s demographic profile of attendees also furnishes exhibitors with important data to better understand and respond to target audiences.
Follow-up efforts are occurring in a timely manner as exhibiting at events requires a substantial investment; therefore, these efforts are an essential and integral part of maximizing the success and positive ROI for exhibiting. Customized follow-up by email or phone is considered the most effective method. Customizing follow-up email communications, tailored to attendees, who they are and what they articulated interest in, makes sense. It demonstrates to the attendee that an exhibitor was listening. It motivates an attendee to pay attention. In today’s marketing environment where consumers demand personal attention, targeted communications are a must. Lead tracking is still in its infancy. Most companies do not have a formal system in place. As these systems become more widely available at a lower cost, it is inevitable that exhibitors will adopt this very important tool that enables them to monitor the performance of each event, whether the event generates the positive ROI they aim to achieve. It is an activity worth exploring as such systems will provide focus to a company’s exhibit program.
This report made possible in part by a grant from the Exhibition Industry Foundation.
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Dallas, TX 75251 USA info@ceir.org www.ceir.org
©Center for Exhibition Industry Research, 2012.
CEIR publications are registered with the This study is published through the combined efforts of:
Douglas L. Ducate, CEM, CMP dducate@ceir.org
President and CEO
Cathy Breden, CAE, CMP cbreden@ceir.org
Executive Director
Nancy Drapeau, PRC ndrapeau@ceir.org
