New CEIR Report Looks into How Exhibitors Share, Attendees Prefer to Receive Product Info

August 27, 2013

In a continued series of reports on practices in the trade show industry, the Center for Exhibition Industry Research recently released a report, Exhibitor Product Information Sharing Practices, which looks into the way exhibitors share and attendees prefer to receive product information.

The report also identifies which methods are considered most effective in supporting an organization’s overall objectives for exhibiting.

CEIR also recently released the Digital Playbook, taking a look at who exhibitors were utilizing digital tools to engage with attendees.

The current study examined not only digital use, but also whether or not attendees still were being engaged with traditional methods.

Nancy Drapeau, CEIR’s research director, said, “Though (study) results in part affirm a shift in exhibitor practices to digital methods, it is not completely the case. Print collateral on premise and post-event is still pervasive, and a good proportion of attendees still want print collateral when they walk the floor.”

She added, “So, these results clearly indicate the importance of using print options strategically along with considering which digital tactics make sense to satisfy the preferences of their target attendees."

Here are some results from the study:

Exhibitor practices and attendee preferences seem to match up.

The two most common methods of product information sharing methods used by exhibitors are printed brochures/catalogues given out at the booth, 85 percent, and emails sent after the exhibition, 70 percent.

The top two methods preferred by attendees to receive information are the same, in the same rank order: 58 percent and 41 percent, respectively.

In terms of how effective each method is considered to be in supporting an exhibiting company’s overall objectives for exhibiting, the top two-ranked methods are digital.

Among users of each method, 82 percent who offer information that is downloadable to a USB and 80 percent who send emails post-event say the tactic is either ‘Highly Effective’ or ‘Effective.’

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