Events & Field Marketing
RGM° · Training
Trade Show and Conference Execution
Still meaningful for B2B. Selection, preparation, execution, follow-up.
Why it matters
Trade shows and conferences are still meaningful for B2B and select B2C. Strategic execution requires pre-event marketing, booth design, on-site team, and post-event nurture.
Selection
- Audience-event fit.
- Volume potential.
- Sponsorship cost vs ROI estimate.
- Speaking slots availability.
- Competitor presence consideration.
- Geographic strategy.
- Industry positioning value.
Preparation
- Booth design.
- Promotional materials.
- Team training.
- Lead capture system.
- Pre-event meeting bookings.
- Pre-event marketing campaign.
- Speaking slot preparation.
Execution
- Booth staffing rotation.
- Lead capture discipline.
- Demo flow.
- Swag strategy.
- Networking events.
- Speaking deliverables.
- Press / analyst meetings.
Follow-up
- Lead enrichment within 48h.
- Personalized follow-up emails.
- Sales handoff process.
- Pipeline tracking.
- Quarterly ROI assessment.
- Annual event ROI review.
Advanced playbook
- Annual trade show calendar.
- Audience-event fit rigorous.
- Pre-event marketing campaigns.
- Booth design and team training.
- Lead capture and follow-up SLA (48h).
- Speaking opportunities pursued.
- Press / analyst meetings.
- Quarterly ROI assessment.
- Annual event ROI review.
- Cross-functional coordination.
Common mistakes
- Trade show calendar set by inertia.
- Audience-event fit unassessed.
- Pre-event marketing absent.
- Booth design generic.
- Team training skipped.
- Lead capture inconsistent.
- Follow-up SLA broken.
- Speaking opportunities missed.
- Annual ROI not calculated.
- Cross-functional coordination weak.
Checklist
- Annual trade show calendar
- Audience-event fit rigorous
- Pre-event marketing campaigns
- Booth design and team training
- Lead capture and follow-up SLA
- Speaking opportunities pursued
- Press / analyst meetings
- Quarterly ROI assessment
- Annual event ROI review
- Cross-functional coordination
Sources and further reading
- Event Marketer research
- BizBash
- Lippe Taylor field marketing
- EventMB research
- Convention Industry Council
- RGM ABM Mastery events
- Marketing Brew event coverage
- Lenny Rachitsky event cases
- Reforge events curriculum
- Sangram Vajre B2B
- Field Marketing Association
- HBR event research
Part of the Events & Field Marketing series.