Events are a hub of activity and business advancement. All attendees consider events as an investment that will help them further company goals. Meetings are the building blocks of these campaigns. Most often, the number of meetings that are being organized is a direct indicator of the company’s efforts and strategy.
Event marketers strive to create successful meetings as every such meeting sets the foundation for advancing sales cycles or winning opportunities. Based on their objective, attendees engage in different activities and meetings at events. In this blog, we look at a few types of meetings that constitute a great event campaign and cater to every participant’s requirement.
Scheduling the right type of meetings
Meetings are productive only when they are backed by a strong agenda and when the right type of meetings are scheduled. Scheduling the right type of meeting not only keeps the attendee informed but keeps the conversation on track.
The right type of meeting also gives meeting coordinators a clearer picture of what is going to be discussed making it easier for them to choose the participants for the meeting. Requesters can even include C-suite executives for meetings that require their influence.
Seven meeting types that make up a great event
Prospect meeting – An attendee visits the booth with little to no idea about the product or services. This has prompted an interaction with marketing or sales folks to better understand what is on offer. A prospect meeting is a gateway conversation that leads to a product demo and executive interactions as interest becomes more established. To ace this type of meeting, it is advisable to train executives to create and rehearse a narrative that portrays the value proposition and benefits in a simple, easy-to-understand format.
Product demo – Once the relevance of the product has been established with respect to the customer’s requirements and use case, a demo can help them understand the product in-depth. The best way to get the most out of a demo is by taking note of what customers expect from it and talking about features that address their most pressing pain points. The messaging or product features need to be tailor-fitted to what the customer is looking for.
Booth tour – A booth should be unique enough to attract attention from event attendees but should also be able to explain the purpose of the business. A successful booth tour allows attendees to experience the product while walking them through various sections of the booth. A booth tour not only helps pitch various points of interest (various products/services) but can inspire product-specific conversations.
Off-site meeting – Meeting rooms can sometimes be stuffy and constricted leading to unproductive meetings. In such instances, a change of setting can help put a prospective customer at ease. Off-site meetings also tend to be slightly informal, allowing for more free-flowing conversation. It is an opportunity to bring people together for productive discussions and in certain cases can help aid the agenda of the meeting much better than meeting rooms can. In such cases tuning in to group dynamics and increasing the fun-quotient can do wonders for the productivity of off-site meetings.
Press meetings – Publicity plays an integral role in the success of events. A press briefing allows the enterprise to form a relationship with press personnel which can aid in creating a compelling narrative around the product being launched or promoted. The content created by the press extends to their user base and can go a long way in gaining business opportunities beyond the event.
Customer meetings – Events are undoubtedly great ways for the company to directly interact with their target audience. But they are also great ways to forge long-term relationships with existing accounts. One can use this type of meeting to introduce prospects to new product features and releases. Additionally, this is the perfect opportunity to convert them to loyal customers and to indulge in upselling and cross-sell.
Walk-in meetings – At every event, there is a certain percentage of meetings that are not pre-scheduled. But that does not mean that they do not require preparation. Walk-in meetings are just as important as pre-scheduled meetings. It would be advisable, however, to limit participants of these kinds of meetings to a smaller number so as to engage with everyone. These meetings are perfect opportunities to deliver brand messages to suit the situation and the prospect.
Meetings are immensely important to enterprises as well as events due to the sheer number of advantages associated with it. Preparing and managing meetings take a significant amount of time and patience. Deciding the right meeting type at the outset can help internal and external attendees to prepare for the meeting and address every point on the meeting agenda.
Meeting scheduling and management at events is not as easy as it sounds. Using tools such as spreadsheets and emails to manage and coordinate meetings at events can prove cumbersome and error-prone. Meeting Automation Platform is a comprehensive solution that overcomes hurdles associated with scheduling meetings and increases the number and quality of strategic B2B meetings at events and trade shows.
To know more about Meeting Automation Platforms and how to enhance the quality of B2B meetings at events, speak to our product expert today.
