After attending PACK EXPO, the world’s largest packaging and processing event, there are some objectives you can strive for in order to stay connected to the innovations that advance your business objectives in the packaging industry.
#1 Segment Materials
Go through all the materials you gathered at the PACK EXPO trade show and group them by the product and services that your most interested in learning about.
#2 Register
If PACK EXPO has a supplier listing or portal, make sure you register and complete all documentation to be considered for future RFQ’s.
#3 Evaluate
Identify if the costs of attending PACK EXPO, admission, hotels, travel, other expenses and your time. Did the amount of new knowledge and connections make your attendance worth while? Evaluate what went well, what didn't, and what could be improved for next time. Keep it real - don't suggest "better weather" for next year. Pay special attention to feedback regarding communication to prospective customers. The "lessons learned" will help improve your efforts for future trade shows.
#4 Add Prospects right away
Did you know 79% of all Exhibit leads generated are not followed-up! Add the business cards you collected to your CRM for further nurturing and tracking. Make notes about the contacts interests or any other information helpful for follow up. Label contacts source as "PACK EXPO trade show", so later when it leads to an order you can put a monetary value on success of attendance.
#5 Email within a week
Send a personalized email within 3 days (up to 1 week) after the trade show. Make sure to include a call to action (visit website, blog post, white paper download). If you decide to send a bulk non-personalized email, which is not ideal, be sure to us the bcc (blind carbon copy) field so that recipients are restricted to seeing their own email address.
#6 Call within 2 weeks
Pick up the phone and call contacts within 1-2 weeks. You may not call everyone you emailed but perhaps the people you made a special connection with.
#7 Send Mail within 1-2 weeks
That's right, snail mail! Within 1 to 2 weeks of the PACK EXPO show send your physical marketing collateral (letter, brochure, thank you card) along with a hand written note and your business card.
#8 Connect LinkedIn
Connect with the new contacts via LinkedIn and endorse them, pay it forward! Join in the conversation, join groups that new contacts are in. If you haven't already, follow PACK EXPO's LinkedIn group page.
#9 Referrals
Don’t be afraid to ask for referrals from your new found contacts.
#10 Keep in touch
Stay top of mind by scheduling to touch base quarterly.
There is one crucial thing to remember, make sure you don’t lose the momentum. Impressions from the show may linger for a few days to a week but taper off quickly afterward, so you'll want to tap into the buzz while it's fresh.
About Us
Valley Box is a premiere industrial-grade packaging company protecting manufacturer's products inside custom wood crates and made-to-order material handling equipment since 1965.
Valley Box packaging experts develop specialized solutions for trade show crates which require additional planning to design the interior so that display components can be conveniently removed and loaded on location, while maintaining proper protection during transit. Valley Box helps you maximize your trade show display investment by incorporating protective details such as; foam or carpet lined surfaces, metal edged corners, vibrant painted exteriors, loading ramps, pedestals on casters and more.
