We like to think that planning and managing an event is like a grand orchestra. It relies on the confluence of multiple instruments working towards a common goal. Some instruments are more impactful than others, because they hold the entire performance together, being supported by larger instruments. We believe a meeting scheduling tool at events and trade shows play a similar part in an event’s success.
The importance of a meeting scheduling tool cannot be overstated, because meetings are where sales deals are discussed. It’s only by building sales pipeline at events can event managers show ROI for the event. The success of the event hinges on the quality of the meetings.
So how can a meeting manager make the most of their meeting scheduling tool to make the event a success? Let’s find out.
Pre-plan all the meetings you can
The first step to building a sales pipeline at events is to get the meetings pre-booked. This gives the attendee enough time to prepare themselves for the meeting. Meeting requests work on a first come, first serve basis. So the first request has a better chance of being accepted. Pre-booked meetings also have better chance of getting the ‘prime-time’ meeting slots. Blocking the attendee’s calendars are especially effective when there are stakeholders from different timezones are involved, because having a better choice of timeslots increases the probability of booking a meeting at a time that works for everyone. One of the best ways to use a scheduling tool at an event is to put it in action even before the event starts.
Every meeting attendee should know why they’re stepping into a meeting room
A productive meeting is a meeting with purpose. This can happen only when the meeting agenda is set and agreed upon before the meeting starts. This is extremely important in a sales meeting setting, because each sales meeting is going to be different. Each meeting with a different company will have a different context, in different stages of the sales cycle. Each of those meetings are going to require a specific approach, and that’s possible only when the sales team has all the relevant information. As a best practice, a briefing document must be attached to each meeting request with complete deal history, and the suggested steps forward.z
Automate those reminders
It’s been proven time and again that a timely reminder is one of the best ways to prevent no-shows and ensure maximum attendance for each meeting. Without a meeting scheduling tool, meeting managers and event managers have been sending reminders manually. But when meetings happen simultaneously, and there are hundreds of meetings to be supervised, sending invites manually is out of the question. A meeting scheduling tool worth its salt would definitely have an automated meeting reminder option. Just make sure that it’s turned on to ensure that you don’t have to squirm while reporting your meeting attendance rates.
Meeting Check-ins
When multiple meetings happen parallelly, how is a meeting manager to keep a tab on each and everyone of them? They can’t possibly be expected to keep a tab on each and every attendee. The solution is to empower attendees with the ability to check-in to their own meetings. Meetings scheduling solutions tailor made for events will have an app that the attendees can use to check their own schedules, and also to check-in to the meetings that they are attending. This helps the attendee keep a track of all the meetings that they have attended, and more importantly for the meeting manager, gives them complete visibility for all meetings.
Managing meetings is the most direct way to build sales pipeline at events, and a meeting scheduling tool is the perfect partner to remove hassles, and ensure that the meetings are successful. If you’d like to know more about how a scheduling tools works wonders for events, just take a free demo here.
