Building your List of Contacts at The Event Planner Expo

February 26, 2015 Megan Stoeckel

Having a targeted list of prospective clients, customers, and contacts is a powerful tool that you can use to drive sales and increase bookings. One of the best ways to find and add qualified people to your contact list is to exhibit at the Event Planner Expo, where the leading figures in the industry, including corporate decision makers, event planners, marketing executives, and wedding professionals are gathered under one roof. This is an opportunity to make new connections and start relationships will be profitable for years to come.

There are a number of ways that you can employ a targeted list to increase revenue for your event services business. In general you will want to divide your contact list into specific groups, allowing you to send relevant, focused messages to each one. This way you will reach your targeted audience, whether you are trying to invite, inform, sell, or simply increase brand awareness. You can also use your list to situate yourself as an industry leader by distributing useful, educational, and interesting information on a regular basis.

There are a variety of people attending the Expo who could greatly benefit your business by forming relationships with them. The event planning professionals in attendance are responsible for choosing the venues, services, and products for numerous occasions throughout the year. Others like PR and marketing executives are in charge of large corporate event budgets for important marketing initiatives. You’ll also find consumers planning affairs such as weddings, birthdays, or private parties, looking for the perfect services for their event. One the thing they all have in common is that they are in need of the services you have to offer, so simply exchanging contact information may be the start of a very profitable business relationship.

One of the great things about having a booth at the Expo is that it makes you a target for people looking for your specific products or services. Rather than having to reach out to potential clients and customers, they will actually come to you looking for more information about your organization. This allows you to make an initial connection with them, while also capturing contact information so that you can keep the lines of communication open for the future.

When you meet someone at the Expo and form a connection it familiarizes that person with your company and brand. Because there are thousands of people attending the show, and hundreds of booths exhibiting, it’s easy to forget the details of every single person you talk to. However, when you manage to capture contact information from attendees that stop by your booth, you will be able to reconnect with them at a later date and remind them of your company and what you have to offer. This will ignite a spark of recognition that leads to forming a new relationship.

Having plenty of business cards on hand is vital for all exhibitors and attendees of The Event Planner Expo. The simple act of exchanging business cards gives both parties a way to remember each other and provides an easy way to get in contact after the show. Another great way to capture new contact information is to have an electronic sign in book like an iPad or Tablet. This way, attendees can give you their contact information and you are able to keep it in an organized database with out worrying about loosing a tiny business card.

While your main focus will probably be trying to acquire contact information from prospective clients and customers, you can also use the Expo as a powerful networking tool for making connections with professionals and service providers in the industry. Getting there early will let you talk to other people who are exhibiting, and familiarize yourself with the different complementary businesses in the field. This can later lead to profitable collaborations and partnerships.

The Event Planner Expo is New York City’s biggest networking opportunity for event planning professionals, so make sure you take advantage of making connections with everyone you can. Capturing new leads and growing your contact list will take your business to the next level vital to the success of your business. 

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