CHICAGO — Robyn Davis, CPTD, trade show trainer/consultant for WINH LLC Exhibitorsshared exhibitor survey challenges and solutions, tips for writing survey questions, and how to gather actionable insights during a webinar hosted by the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), Exhibitor Surveys 201: How to Get Even More Actionable Insights.
Davis offered some tips on crafting questions, including thinking about context, why exhibitors came, what hurt their experience, and how the show impacted their business. To get the most accurate answers to impact questions, it’s suggested that in-depth surveys be sent to exhibitors two weeks after the event ends, and consider doing a shorter one onsite.
Davis says that to gather actionable insights, it’s important to be open to criticism and reflect on it objectively and constructively to make improvements to the show. It’s also a good idea to survey exhibitors regularly, not just after the show, and to ask the same questions in the same way year after year to get comparable answers.
Common Mistakes and Solutions for Exhibitor Surveys
Trade show organizers can make the mistake of not getting enough context for the responses they receive. A survey should be segmented based on the groups from which the trade show organizers are collecting responses, which can be as simple as differentiating the survey by exhibitor or attendee or asking for company name or booth number, and then segmenting further within those groups based on things like booth size. There is also a method called branching, in which the survey questions will depend on the respondents’ responses as they do so, ensuring that exhibitors are answering questions specific to them.
When a trade show organizer is unclear in his questions, exhibitors may end up providing answers they are not looking for. This problem may arise due to a difference in word perception.
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“It’s important to use the words exhibitors use in the way they use them,” Davis said. “For example, the word networking used in a survey often means different things to different people. Networking could mean attending a reception or a session where they can interact with the presenter or walking through the exhibit hall to interact with potential partners. We want to make sure you’re clear on what networking means to you or define it for them.”
Davis also addressed the issue of exhibitors feeling like the survey is a lot of work with little reward. Incentives for completing the survey and transparency about how survey responses will be used can help address this, but Davis cautions against using incentives. “Improving the show floor may be enough of a reward. There are other things you can incorporate depending on what your goals are for the survey. But we don’t want it to be something that everyone wants instead of giving you honest answers.”
Find more information about the webinar here: https://learn.iaee.com/products/exhibitor-surveys-201-how-to-obtain-even-more-actionable-insights
Contact Robyn Davis at (614) 657-7412 or info@ExhibitorsWINH.com