BADGE SCANNING IN LAS VEGAS

By: Lance Haun & Lizzie Maldonado

FEAR AND

Six Ways to Get Beyond the Scan and Get More From the HR Technology® Conference & Exposition

We were somewhere around Las Vegas in the middle of the desert when the scanning began to take its toll.

I remember saying something like, “I feel a bit awkward; maybe you should scan …”

Your booth is set. Your hotel

arrangements are made. You’ve got your

lead scanner locked and loaded. You’re

ready to take on the HR Technology®

Conference & Exposition! But something

is missing. In the midst of those

mindless scans you tell yourself:

THERE HAS TO BE MORE.

THERE IS.

WANT TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TIME AT HR TECHNOLOGY®?

When it comes to getting the most from your time

as a vendor at the show, it’s about more than

showing up and scanning badges. Truly engaging

attendees and getting the most bang for your

buck doesn’t have to be complicated — but it will

take a little bit of work.

We’ve put together six tips that can help you get

the most from your investment at the show. Let’s

get down to brass tacks.

TIP NO. 1 MAKE A REAL CONNECTION

Whether you’re working the booth, taking

prospect or client meetings, or going to

sessions, it’s easy to go on autopilot. But

attendees — and, ultimately, your buyers —

want to connect with people. Talk to them

about their biggest challenge at work, the

questions that keep them up at night, or who

you could recommend talking to at the show.

They’ll remember you, and it could make all

the difference come buying time.

----------------------BEYOND THE SCAN: Connect personally with three people at

the show, even if they won’t necessarily

turn into clients.

TIP NO. 2NETWORK ATNETWORKING EVENTS

Between the opening night reception,

breakfast, refreshment breaks, and lunch in

the expo hall, there is a lot of time to make

genuine connections. These networking

opportunities give you the chance to see

people who have been busy in sessions

and meetings, and may not be in the expo

otherwise. Instead of talking to people you

know, make a point of talking to someone

new every chance you get.

----------------------BEYOND THE SCAN: Take turns manning your booth so you can

roam the floor during the official reception

and at least one of the breaks, but keep your

sales materials in your booth; they cannot

be distributed outside of your booth space.

TIP NO. 3SCHEDULE BRIEFINGS WITH ANALYSTS, JOURNALISTS,AND INFLUENCERS

Analysts, press, and other influencers spread

the word about what’s really happening in

HR technology. If you have something new

that you need to share, or if you just haven’t

spoken to this group of movers and shakers

before, it would be worthwhile to schedule

some of your time in the pressroom and

blogger room to share progress and discuss

trends. To access a copy of the press list,

email Devon Group’s Jeanne Achille atjeanne@devonpr.com.

----------------------BEYOND THE SCAN: Select a handful of analysts and

influencers you want to talk to and reach

out personally to them before the show.

TIP NO. 4 GET FACE-TO-FACE TIME WITH CUSTOMERS AND PROSPECTS

The opportunity to get this much face-to-

face time with customers and prospects is

a rare one. The HR Technology® Conference

brings your top customers and buyers to the

same location. Though some vendors do big

client and prospect dinners, you don’t need

to do anything that complicated. A simple

drink at the show will suffice — and should

be fairly easy.

----------------------BEYOND THE SCAN: Get at least 30 minutes of face time with

one VIP prospect and customer. The more,

the better.

TIP NO. 5 FOLLOW UP AFTERTHE SHOW

It may be tempting to just drop all the names

you scanned into your CRM database when you

get back and have your sales team follow up.

Some companies don’t even do that much. But

a personal email or call from the person they met

with at the show — with specific information,

if they asked for it — makes a huge difference.

Talk to attendees about their professional pains

— what is their biggest challenge at work — and

try to offer a solution in your follow-up, even if

it’s not necessarily related to your technology. If

it’s not the right time to buy, a hard sales push

won’t change that. But open a door by becoming

a resource — and when the time to buy is nigh,

they’ll think of you.

----------------------BEYOND THE SCAN: If you can’t follow up with everyone, have

each person who attended the conference

follow up with anyone they made a

personal connection with at the show.

TIP NO. 6 HAVE FUN

Don’t be a robot at the conference. You’re

there for a purpose, but that doesn’t mean

you can’t have a little fun while you’re

working the booth or taking meetings.

And — hello! — you’re in Vegas. There’s

hardly an end to the fun things to do — go

to a show, bungee jump off the Stratosphere,

take a helicopter tour — do something that

will make your experience complete.

----------------------BEYOND THE SCAN: Show attendees that you’re having

a good time and they’ll enjoy the

experience that much more.

Like we said, it’s not difficult to get the

most out of the HR Technology® Conference

& Exposition. But it does take a little work.

With these six tips, you won’t be wondering

whether your decision to invest in the show

was worth it: You’ll know it was, and you’ll

enjoy it a lot more, too.

WANT TO LEARN MORE?InfluenceHR — being held the day before the HR Technology® Conference & Exposition

in Las Vegas — is a symposium for marketers who want to maximize the impact of their

initiatives and increase marketing velocity. As an exhibitor of HR Technology®, we want

to offer you an exclusive discount to attend InfluenceHR. Use the promo code HRTECHEXH

when you register at www.InfluenceHR.com to claim your vendor discount and get the

insight you need to make a difference in HCM.