Exhibitors are vital to most events by providing both value to attendees and income for hosts. Nurture these relationships to sustain a popular exhibit hall from one year to the next. A mobile event app helps enable event hosts to create a positive experience for everyone involved and give exhibitors the peace of mind their investment is money well spent. 

Continue reading to learn how event planners and organizers responsible for managing exhibitors at a conference or trade show are able to leverage event app tools to great benefit. 

Offer to Host Important Material Online

Most exhibitors still bring physical brochures and other handouts to events to out to attendees. Offer to provide the digital versions of these documents in the mobile application. PDF integration enables documents to be made available alongside exhibitor profiles immediately after the app installation for offline access or via subsequent on-demand downloads during and after the event.

Providing a source for exhibitor's digital content gives attendees a single resource to find valuable information. Consider wrapping basic PDF integration into any exhibitor fees and charge extra for the inclusion of videos or other media; the possibilities are endless, but the feature always provides great value to everyone involved.  

Create a Personalized Experience

Talk to each exhibitor seperately about their ROI and their most important goals -- both overall and as they pertain to appearance in the official mobile event app. Does the exhibitor really want to increase exposure with a banner ad leading to their exhibitor profile? How about a survey or live polling questions specifically aimed at generating an unique answer for the exhibitor? Also consider how the exhibitor might value usage or demographic data derived from the event app to better understand their potential clients. 

Consider ROI Before Booth Costs 

Booth costs are typicaly negligible compared to marketing dollars spent by any exhibitor attending a conference or trade show. Exhibitors return to a conference each year because their return on investment from sales or new prospects outweighs expenses to attend and advertise. 

Frame the booth cost as an investment and avoid slashing prices in down years. Figure out instead how the event app helps provide a better bang for exhibitor's dollars. Offer to include free perks for one year such as better branding and show a willingness to add features to create more attendee buzz. 

Simple gamification through prizes and giveways via scheduled push alerts or finally adding an interactive exhibitor map helps generate excitement and show exhibitors every effort is being made to improve their experience and ROI. 

Help Drive Traffic 

Become a content marketer for exhibitors by adding them to drip marketing campaigns, social media posts, blog posts, and host city logistics. Much of these elements can be integrated into mobile events apps; consider adding exhibitor news via RSS feeds and selected 3rd-party social media channels. 

Make sure to avoid scheduling popular sessions during exhibit hall hours. Add exhibitor hours to the schedule with a different color or emphasis, as well as provide an exhibitor directory readily accessible from the homepage. Send push alerts reminding attendees of exhibit hall hours with extra incentives such as free snacks or giveaways. 

Make Post-Event Networking Easy

Share comprehensive attendee information with exhibitors after the event and propose a wrap-up call to discuss additional needs and areas of improvement for the following year. Answer any questions and provide resources or suggestions on sessions at the event most applicable to the exhibitor's product or service.