Attendee Movement Data: What Should You Track?

April 23, 2016

Lisa Apolinski

Lisa Apolinski is a professional speaker, blogger, and digital strategist. With her company, 3DogWrite.com, she works with event managers to get their message to attendees, particularly through digital channels, on and off the show floor.

There are great technology advances to monitor where your attendees go on the show floor and in your booth. But, what data pieces are key to track and apply to your trade show marketing strategy?

Where does your attendee go, and linger?  One key element to track with your booth, or conference, to determine how your traffic is faring is actual traffic patterns.  Where do your attendees go, and how do they get there?  Where do they congregate, and what areas are they skipping entirely? 

How they move within your booth can show you dead space, or space where you could add seating, and even some marketing info and booth staff to engage your attendees.

How are your attendees engaging with your demonstrations?  This includes what demonstrations they engage with, how long they stay there, and how they go from one demonstration to the next.

You can also review when you have peak times at your demonstrations, which will affect your booth schedule.  More engagement should equate to more booth staff to chat with those attendees.  Are your assumptions for length of your demo match up with your data? 

If the length of time is too long, you may want to consider breaking up the demo into two parts to keep traffic moving while keeping your attendees interacting.

Who attends your lecture?  It is great to count the number of people who attend your lecture, if you end up being a speaker. 

What is more helpful is to get a list of who attended, including their title and company, so you can follow up with your attendees for any questions or further discussions.  You can also then invite these attendees into your booth to continue the conversation.

Use key attendee movement data points to continue to optimize your booth strategy and your attendee experience.

Add new comment

Partner Voices
Overview: The award-winning Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) goes the extra mile to make every day extraordinary by offering customer service excellence and industry-leading partnerships. From their dedicated in-house Rigging team to their robust Exhibitor Services, The Center of Hospitality brings your imagination to life by helping you host unforgettable meetings and events. With more than 2 million square feet of exhibit space, world-class services and a dream destination, we are committed to making even the most ambitious conventions a reality. In October 2023, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve allocating Tourist Development Tax funding for the $560 million Phase 5A completion of the OCCC. The Convention Way Grand Concourse project will include enhancements to the North-South Building, featuring an additional 60,000 square feet of meeting space, an 80,000- square-foot ballroom and new entry to the North-South Building along Convention Way. “We are thrilled to begin work on completing our North-South Building which will allow us to meet the growing needs of our clients,” said OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester. “As an economic driver for the community, this project will provide the Center with connectivity and meeting space to host more events and continue to infuse the local economy with new money and expanding business opportunities.” Amenities: The Center of Hospitality goes above and beyond by offering world-class customer service and industry-leading partnerships. From the largest convention center Wi-Fi network to custom LAN/WAN design, the Center takes pride in enhancing exhibitor and customer experience.  The OCCC is the exclusive provider of electricity (24-hour power at no additional cost), aerial rigging and lighting, water, natural gas and propane, compressed air, and cable TV services. Convenience The Center is at the epicenter of the destination, with an abundance of hotels, restaurants, and attractions within walking distance. Pedestrian bridges connect both buildings to more than 5,200 rooms and is within a 15-minute drive from the Orlando International Airport. The convenience of the location goes hand-in-hand with top notch service to help meet an event’s every need. Gold Key Members The OCCC’s Gold Key Members represent the best of the best when it comes to exceptional service and exclusive benefits for clients, exhibitors and guests. The Center’s Gold Key memberships with Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and Walt Disney World greatly enhance meeting planner and attendee experiences offering world-renowned venues, immersive experiences and creative resources for their events. OCCC Events: This fiscal year, the OCCC is projected to host 168 events, 1.7 million attendees, and $2.9 billion in economic impact.  The Center’s top five events during their 2022-2023 fiscal year included:  AAU Jr. National Volleyball Championships 2023 200,000 Attendees $257 Million in Economic Impact MEGACON 2023 160,000 Attendees $205 Million in Economic Impact Open Championship Series 2023 69,500 Attendees $89 Million in Economic Impact Sunshine Classic 2023 42,000 Attendees $54 Million in Economic Impact Premiere Orlando 2023 42,000 Attendees $108 Million in Economic Impact