9 Quick Tips for Creating Post-Show Reports

Enhance Your Post-Show Reports with These Tips and Tricks!

Is your post-show report as effective as it can be? Many people may believe that once the exhibit is over, the work is done but that's not the case!

When you create an effective post-show report, you have the benefit of a visual representation of your return on investment (ROI). Follow these 9 tips and tricks to improve your post-show reports, gain valuable insights, and keep your clients happy!

Tip #1: Outline reachable goals and objectives.

Post-show reports should demonstrate the big picture to your clients. This means outlining how your exhibit contributes to their company's overall goals and initiatives.

Your post-show report should list your pre-show objectives so your client can see how you've fulfilled them along the way. Then, you'll be able to determine any goals and objectives that were not met and explain how you plan to correct that in the future.

Your report outline will also help you determine how to revise your own business goals and objectives to make them more relevant to the client. If you're comparing one show to another or one year to the next, make sure you're comparing consistent data across all fields.

Tip #2: Publish results from press or media attention.

For your post-show reports, it is important to note any positive results you received from the press or media. Determine how many media representatives visited your booth, attended your event, and met with your press liaison or executive management.

You should also count the number of interactions that resulted in positive press mentions over a specific time period. Be sure to include positive excerpts from the coverage if they are available.

Tip #3: Determine the effectiveness of your exhibit.

When creating your post-show report, make sure to include a brief description and evaluation of your exhibit, as well as any available photographs or renderings. You may also want to include a statement on each of the following factors of your exhibit:

• The location of your booth and traffic flow in the area
• Graphic design included in the exhibit
• The objectives of your exhibit and if they were met (what exactly were you trying to accomplish from your booth?)
• Displays of your products

Tip #4: Review the effectiveness of any promotions or activities.

Examine the efficacy of any promotions or activities you had during the exhibit. Make sure you take note of any significant moments that occur during these promotions or events, such as client participation, seminar attendance, and more.

By reviewing how effective these promotions or activities are for the public, you can evaluate what you are doing right and what may need to be tweaked or refined.

Tip #5: Evaluate your booth staff.

Do you have the right people working at your exhibit? Some employees may be more interested or successful in working the booths than others and that's okay! Determine what's working well and what you may need to change for future exhibits by considering:

• Any pre-show training your booth staff may have completed.
• The number of staff members working at your booth.
• The performance of your booth staff during the exhibit.

Tip #6: Keep track of your exhibit budget.

Post-show reports should always track whether you are staying within budget, as well as any profit you may have gained during the exhibit. Compare your estimated budget to your total investment during the exhibit.

Consider everything you did to save money along the way and note whether you went over your budget. Explain every expense in your report, why some of them may have turned out higher than expected, and any suggestions you may have for better budgeting in the future.

Tip #7: Analyze your competitors.

Your competitors can provide valuable insights for your post-show reports. Note how competing businesses are stacking up against your own with a summary of how your company performed in comparison.

If you delegated exhibit staff to report on competitors' show activities, create a comprehensive analysis of how those activities compared and contrasted with your own (see tip #4).

Tip #8: Report on your sales leads.

The primary reason for most exhibits is to generate sales leads, so the quantity and quality of leads generated are critical to your executives and stakeholders.

Determine the total number of leads, then divide that number into a quantitative assessment for example, how many of these leads are viable? Also consider the quality of the leads. Did any leads return from past exhibits? Have the number of leads gone up?

Tip #9: Summarize, summarize, summarize.

At the end of the day, the point of a post-show report is to summarize the exhibit experience as a whole. Write everything down. Take note of anything that seems imperative to remember.

By creating these reports, you are giving yourself a visual representation of all the goings-on at that event. You can compare this post-show report with others you write in the future to continue to improve your exhibits. There's no better way to track the success of your exhibits than having a tangible way to compare them!