Attendee Movement Data: What Should You Track?

April 23, 2016

Lisa Apolinski

Lisa Apolinski is a professional speaker, blogger, and digital strategist. With her company, 3DogWrite.com, she works with event managers to get their message to attendees, particularly through digital channels, on and off the show floor.

There are great technology advances to monitor where your attendees go on the show floor and in your booth. But, what data pieces are key to track and apply to your trade show marketing strategy?

Where does your attendee go, and linger?  One key element to track with your booth, or conference, to determine how your traffic is faring is actual traffic patterns.  Where do your attendees go, and how do they get there?  Where do they congregate, and what areas are they skipping entirely? 

How they move within your booth can show you dead space, or space where you could add seating, and even some marketing info and booth staff to engage your attendees.

How are your attendees engaging with your demonstrations?  This includes what demonstrations they engage with, how long they stay there, and how they go from one demonstration to the next.

You can also review when you have peak times at your demonstrations, which will affect your booth schedule.  More engagement should equate to more booth staff to chat with those attendees.  Are your assumptions for length of your demo match up with your data? 

If the length of time is too long, you may want to consider breaking up the demo into two parts to keep traffic moving while keeping your attendees interacting.

Who attends your lecture?  It is great to count the number of people who attend your lecture, if you end up being a speaker. 

What is more helpful is to get a list of who attended, including their title and company, so you can follow up with your attendees for any questions or further discussions.  You can also then invite these attendees into your booth to continue the conversation.

Use key attendee movement data points to continue to optimize your booth strategy and your attendee experience.

Add new comment

Partner Voices
MGM Resorts is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse culture, not just among employees and guests but also within its supply chain. The company prioritizes procuring goods and services from businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans, people with disabilities, LGBTQ individuals and those facing economic disadvantages. This commitment is integral to MGM Resorts' global procurement strategy.    Through its voluntary supplier diversity program, MGM Resorts actively identifies and connects certified diverse-owned suppliers to opportunities within its supply chain. The company is on track to spend at least 15% of its biddable procurement with diverse-owned businesses by 2025, demonstrating that supplier diversity is not only a social responsibility but also a strategic business imperative.    Supplier diversity isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s good for business. A diverse supply chain allows access to a broader range of perspectives and experience, helping to drive innovation, entrepreneurship and resilience, while strengthening communities. At MGM Resorts, engaging diverse suppliers ensures best-in-class experiences for guests and clients. Supplier diversity ensures a more resilient supply chain while supporting economic development in the communities in which it operates.   The impact of MGM Resorts' supplier diversity initiatives is significant. In 2023, these efforts supported over 3,500 jobs across more than 30 states, contributed over $214 million in income for diverse-owned businesses and generated more than $62 million in tax revenue. The story extends beyond the numbers – it reflects the tangible benefits brought to small and diverse-owned businesses, fostering economic empowerment in their communities.    MGM Resorts also supports the development and business skills of diverse-owned businesses through investment, mentorship and education. Through the MGM Resorts Supplier Diversity Mentorship Program, the company identifies, mentors and develops diverse-owned businesses to fill its future pipeline, while providing businesses with tools and resources to empower and uplift. Since 2017, the program has successfully graduated 105 diverse-owned businesses and is on track to achieve its goal of 150 graduates by 2025.     MGM Resorts’ commitment to supplier diversity not only enhances its business operations but also plays a crucial role in uplifting communities and fostering economic development. This approach reinforces the idea that diversity is a powerful driver of innovation and resilience, benefiting both the company and the wider community.