How to design a winning strategy for energy trade shows

Will your renewable energy company exhibit at one of the dozens of clean energy events across the U.S.? Successful event marketing starts a good nine months before the show, so it’s critical to develop a strategy for cohesive booth design, preparation, and promotions.

Develop performance metrics for your event.

Trade show booth development can get expensive. To make the most out of your spending, it’s crucial to set goals first, and then move into the booth and program design. Start with your main reason for going to the conference. For example, Statista finds:

29% of B2B marketers report lead generation as the the leading reason for event marketing.

Other reasons include customer relations, brand awareness, and community building.

If your goal is to add quality leads to your email list, then define what a quality lead is and how you’ll measure that number. Next, design a renewable energy event marketing plan that directs attendees to your booth’s main call-to-action. Lastly, monitor your metrics and tweak your marketing for optimal performance at clean energy events.

Leadliaison infographic: Unpacking event ROI

Design renewable energy trade show booths with the customer in mind.

We’ve all been to a trade show booth that forgot about user experience. When an exhibit fails to attract attention, attendees move onto the next one. It’s imperative to feature high-quality booth design while also understanding the event demographics and how your audience is constantly changing.

The International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) reports that significant trend changes by age groups affect trade show booth marketing and design because each demographic:

Has a different level of technology sophistication, media preference, software and messaging formats, and time/speed sensitivity.

Determine how your target audience will want to receive and view information. The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) finds that the top reasons for poor attendee experience include:

• Poor booth setup
• Inattentiveness to potential customers
• Presenters lacking knowledge

Land a keynote or speaking engagement at the convention.

Boost your trade show performance, from email sign-ups to booth attendance, by joining an expert panel. These openings aren’t highly publicized yet lead to increased brand visibility and present an opportunity to boost your reputation as a leader in the industry.

Speaking at a convention or trade show not only makes your organization stand out; it provides a key talking point for follow-up promotions and use across all platforms.

To save time and locate speaking engagements with the best return, invest in a PR professional with industry contacts. You’ll want to:

• Document the presentation for further blog posts, social media snippets, and third-party placement.
• Record a video for use across all channels, including email marketing.
• Get a clear audio recording and add segments to existing content.
• Ask for audience feedback for potential use in testimonials and other social proof.

See this and other trade show booth design examples in our portfolio.

Following up after the trade show begins at the trade show.

Sure, you’ll contact every ID badge that you scanned at the show. And maybe your generic email will capture a few leads from those who are in the market for renewable energy services. But, you also risk alienating prospects.

Avoid boring emails after the clean energy trade show ends by capturing the right data at your exhibit.

Ways to do this include:

• Interactive screens. Gamify the experience while collecting additional information for use in follow-up emails.
• Qualify leads. Identify key motivators for your target audience and use your trade show materials to attract quality leads.
• Follow-up emails. Communicating with a shorter, yet compelling follow-up email that shows genuine interest in the human behind the screen.

Dig into the data behind your target audience and start with a strategy that’ll deliver a memorable experience for everyone involved.