Advances in natural language understanding (NLU) have made chatbots more than a stopgap for customer service alone. The increased flexibility in their application has allowed organizations to implement AI-powered technology by channel and by purpose to provide intelligent guidance and contextual support for a myriad of business processes and workflows. In the event marketing space, chatbots have now become essential for promoting and even assisting in the management of an event. However, these “virtual agents” offer many advantages beyond a few basic touch points within the customer journey.  Lead generation, in particular, can benefit from the technology, improving response time and filtering out individuals who don’t match your ideal customer profile. It’s all about leveraging the technology based on the rules you define. If, for example, you want to engage visitors who’ve been on the event page for more than 30 seconds, you can deploy bots to offer prompts like “let us know if you have any questions.” Should the visitor respond, bots can provide answers and ask further questions to collect qualification details. When the information is applied to data enrichment tools, you can segment prospects, if not instantly qualify leads, who could be sent directly to sales.   Using Chatbots on the Trade Show Floor As the use of chatbots becomes more popular in the trade show industry, companies can consider partnering with a content marketing agency to ensure their bot is equipped with valuable information and engaging conversation to provide attendees with a memorable experience. Let’s take chatbots to the event site. At a trade show, bots can be built right into the event app. The technology can be a great way to provide additional customer service during the show, providing attendees with maps, timetables, alerts and directions to must-see booths. But you can also integrate the technology with QR codes positioned strategically around the floor. If someone were to scan a code, bots could deliver content marketing with additional context-sensitive details or offer up the opportunity for a free demo.   The bot could go so far as to identify those most in need of human interaction and then either connect them with a sales representative or allow people to schedule an appointment. It’s just a matter of deciding when and where bots should appear before the event, during the event and after the event is done. Start by answering a few simple questions:   1.     What kind of leads do you want to reach? You probably don’t want to message everyone at the event. So, will you target a certain segment of attendees based on qualification details captured before the event? Or will you use a QR code or a request for certain information to qualify and nurture leads?  2.     When will the lead most likely be receptive to messaging?  If it’s your first event, you can’t use past events to inform this decision, though that information is helpful. Consider how people have interacted with past content on your website, social media, paid ads, etc. This can give you some idea of the timing.  3.     Which activities at the event will signal interest?  Naturally, scanning a QR code would be a sign of interest, but what other activities before, during or after the event would be good indicators? Signing up for a specific event at the show? More than one activation at a booth? Signing up for a free trial? A request for additional information? Determine what activities indicate where prospects might be within the sales funnel.  4.     How will you handle post-event marketing? Though this goes without saying, the event doesn’t end at the end of the event. What are your plans to continue nurturing leads? Perhaps a post-event survey is to capture qualification details. Maybe an analysis of the most requested information or guided pathways can give you a better idea of the individuals most likely to convert, thereby requiring a follow-up from either a chatbot or human support. Then, it all comes down to creating the necessary bots and crafting the precise messaging and prompts that will allow you to capture attendee details and qualify leads before routing those most likely to convert to the next step in the sales process. Start by answering those questions to provide direction on leveraging chatbots to qualify the lead. Don’t miss any event-related news: Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter HERE, listen to our latest podcast HERE and engage with us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn!