Posted by

Barry Siskind

UFI’s Community Manager

To paraphrase an old saying “It’s less expensive to keep an existing customer than find a new one.” We all understand the importance of ensuring that visitors keep coming back to our exhibitions year after year.

While retaining 100% of the visitors may not be realistic, increasing efforts to bring them back has to have a positive effect on your exhibition’s bottom line.

I found an interesting post on www.exhibitions.myindustrytracker.com that dealt with this very issue. The author listed 20 suggestions for visitor retention in four distinct areas:

At the event. These are initiatives that are implemented during the event and include such things as:  Gamification, announcements of future dates and checking real-time analytics.

After the event- Short term initiatives include such suggestions as brain-dumping, questionnaires and social media. 

After the event – Long term initiatives include soliciting ideas, the strategic use of content and understanding and using web analytics.

Planning Next Year’s Event. Included here are such things as offering on-line alternatives, marketing to existing visitors as well as soliciting new ones, and change those elements of the exhibition that are not working.

It’s a well-thought out post and would be worth your while to look it over.

http://www.exhibitions.myindustrytracker.com/en/articles/68317?utm_source=Mandrill-exhibitions&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=Exhibitions-53030-t-en-210814