L'article
In France, two out of three B2B companies have invested or plan to invest in trade shows and professional events in 2024, and 87% have maintained or increased the budget allocated to this performance lever compared to 2023.
It must be said that participation in trade shows, whether through a booth and/or a speaking engagement, allows the company to unlock several advantages throughout the entire marketing value chain, from LeadGen to brand awareness, including customer retention and benchmarking.
Let’s break it down…
Public speaking, a triple-digit ROI on acquisition
A study conducted between 2018 et 2023ii on thousands of B2B companies ranked lead generation channels based on their long-term return on investment.
With a record ROI of 856%, public speaking at events takes the top spot. Essentially, for every €100 spent, the company generates an average profit of €856, provided the participation is well-prepared and executed according to best practices:
- A speaker who masters their subject and provides feedback, unique data, and/or innovative methods, going beyond empty speeches and theoretical presentations;
- An engaging format that is sufficiently “long” to allow the speaker to develop their reasoning and provide value (Keynote, round table with a reasonable speaking time, Masterclass, etc.);
- An event where the audience matches or closely resembles the company’s ideal client profile.
According to the same study, speaking at events results in a very competitive acquisition cost (€518), which is lower than SEO (€647), SEA (€802), and podcasts (€1,472).
Humanize the brand and bring authenticity to communication
Participating in trade shows, whether through a booth, a speaking engagement, or both, allows a company to humanize its brand and infuse authenticity into its communication.
Physically meeting your audience enables you to deploy natural storytelling, utilize non-verbal communication to add depth to your message, and personally embody the company’s value proposition.
In the era of information overload and the influx of generic AI-created content, face-to-face interactions bring freshness and even conviviality to marketing efforts. Authenticity is a key expectation expressed by audiences. This is evident from several indicators:
- On LinkedIn, first-person posts tend to perform best, indicating a preference for personal and authentic content;
- Prospecting emails that include a video of the salesperson speaking generate a 19% higher response rate compared to text-based emails (discussed here) ;
- Decision-makers are more inclined to consume subjective content, such as case studies, columns, opinion pieces, and interviews.
Building brand awareness
By strategically placing a booth, actively participating in workshops and roundtable discussions, and delivering well-crafted “elevator pitches” you can position your brand within a highly qualified microenvironment and solidify its image in the minds of participants.
The presence of your visual elements at the event, the relevance of your contributions, and possibly your awards or nominations will provide social proof to your prospects.
Beyond the immediate impact, participating in professional events can generate content that you can leverage for weeks or even months afterwards: recorded speeches, on-site photos to showcase on LinkedIn, insights to integrate into your upcoming content, and more.
Pre-event preparation is also crucial, as organizers often promote your brand through posts and emails, enhancing its value among a targeted audience actively seeking new partnerships.
Inviting your best clients to foster loyalty
Inviting clients to professional trade shows you participate in is a highly effective loyalty-building technique. Take care of their access and logistics and tailor a personalized journey that includes:
- An enriching and enjoyable experience for your clients: networking opportunities, participation in insightful sessions, gala evenings, etc.
- Marketing benefits for your company: presenting a joint business case, client testimonials in front of interested prospects, social proof, etc.
Benchmarking and taking the market pulse
The macroenvironment of marketing and sales has never been more dynamic: a new generation of AI tools, the emergence of the B2B super-buyer, the disappearance of third-party cookies, turbulence in Google’s algorithm…
Participating in professional trade shows also means challenging your ideas, drawing inspiration from the best practices of peers, staying updated on the latest innovations, and returning with actionable ideas to refine your strategy and boost growth.
However, to capitalize fully on your participation in professional events, you must avoid common mistakes that limit the ROI of this marketing channel. This will be the focus of the second episode of this report.