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This year, the event engagement experts at Swapcard conducted an anonymized study across 2,000 events with 2.5 million attendees in order to learn how attendees engage at trade shows, exhibitions, and conferences and to identify overlooked gaps and underutilized strategies for event organizers and exhibitors. Leveraging even one of the seven insights gleaned from the report can significantly boost event engagement and drive exceptional results.
1. Activate activation
What is the most direct way to drive engagement? Give participants more activation options and more time. At trade shows, a 10-percent increase in activation led to a 7-percent increase in engagement. Swapcard suggests you start onboarding early, creating targeted communication strategies for attendees, and leveraging an event’s mobile app for check-in.
2. Virtual booths lead the way
Surprisingly, just one-fourth of all leads were generated through badge scanning (lead capture). Across event sizes, online booths accounted for the largest share of leads. To maximize exhibitor ROI and engagement, organizers should take a more integrated approach to lead generation, with a focus on compelling virtual booth experiences.
3. Sponsor, scale, succeed
Exhibitors who opted for sponsorship opportunities at events saw impressive lead growth, from 115 percent at small trade shows to 750 percent at large trade shows. This is particularly true for smaller events, where sponsored sessions accounted for more than one-quarter of lead generation.
This data underscores the consistent advantage sponsors have in lead generation across all trade-show tiers, offering sales managers a strong case for promoting sponsorship packages.
4. Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up
Eight percent of all lead-generating interactions occur after the event ends, highlighting the importance of timely follow-ups to maximize ROI — yet fewer than 15 percent of exhibitors download their final lead reports within 10 days after the show, thereby missing that opportunity for further engagement. Organizers should focus on educating exhibitors to maximize this post-event opportunity.
5. A genuinely good use of AI
Networking is thriving, with two-thirds of attendees connecting before events even begin. AI-powered recommendations amplify these efforts, nearly doubling connection acceptance rates at trade shows and increasing them by 47 percent at conferences. Leverage AI to enhance your networking outcomes and foster meaningful connections.
6. Network before, network after
Networking is the cornerstone of most events, but that doesn’t just happen on site. Not only does a majority of networking occur before the event, but 12 percent of trade-show and 4 percent of conference networking take place after the event concludes. So onboard exhibitors and attendees early and ensure there are post-event networking opportunities to keep the momentum going.
7. Made-to-measure networking
When tracking networking activity from small trade shows and conferences to larger counterparts, it became clear that as event size grows, so does networking. So it’s crucial to cater strategies for specific events. At smaller events, connecting attendees with organizers and speakers is most effective. At larger events, creating dedicated networking spaces for attendees to meet through roundtables and breakouts makes a bigger impact.
