Participant management for trade fairs

The challenge: Participant management for trade fairs

Just now is the International Automobile Exhibition (IAA), which met a good 500,000 visitors and 1,000 exhibitors, passed by, there was the Frankfurt Book Fair started. Around 280,000 visitors are expected here, 7,500 exhibitors from the book industry present their new releases and around 10,000 journalists and bloggers have signed up. The book fair itself also mentions about 4,000 events, which are planned during the trade fair.

A challenge for anyone responsible for participant management.

The high number of participants and the different guest groups are the most obvious Challenges. Trade fair always means mass: huge exhibition areas, multiple entrances, many visitors, many exhibitors. All of this must be coordinated flawlessly and in coordination. Exhibition management is therefore always also participant management. Digitalization and automation make complex processes easier.

Even though many satellite projects are managed and executed externally, more than enough tasks remain in the hands of central exhibition management.

What are the requirements for participant management during trade fairs? In summary, the following requirements and tasks can be bundled:

• invitation management
• Online registration from professional audiences
• Accreditation of journalists
• Exhibitor management
• Voucher management
• ticketing
• ticket management for various guest categories (professional audience, private visitors, VIPs, students, exhibitors, speakers, journalists, etc.)
• Flexible payment
• Local registration
• Admission management
• Name tag print
• Management of workshops and satellite events
• Quota management and waiting lists
• surveys
• Statistics and reporting

Without structured and precise planning, optimal Participant management unimaginable in this context. Digitalization and automation make complex processes easier. The various groups of participants, such as exhibitors, trade visitors, journalists and guests of honor, can be easily categorized and managed in carefully structured participant management software.

The invitations

Even sending invitations requires segmenting the guest list into different guest categories. A carefully drawn up and maintained guest list in an efficient tool for participant management, supports the entire event planning.

The feedback and registration process

With the invitation, participants are invited to register for the event. At a trade fair, it is also often asked whether the guests will be arriving over the entire exhibition period or will only be there on selected days. In contrast to private visitors, the professional audience can often already attend the opening or a preview. Journalists can also register for press conferences or specific press events.

Decreasing visitor numbers also make it necessary for trade fairs to No-show rate to deal with. Careful invitation and participant management, well-scheduled and prepared reminders help to reduce this rate.

Payment solutions

Many visitors prefer to buy tickets online before buying tickets at the ticket office. The integration of a flexible payment tool is no problem for most participant management systems.

Admission management

Tickets and invitations to a trade fair or its satellite events must provide easy and quick access to the event. For many companies and their employees, trade fairs always mean stress; this should not be increased at the entrance.

Friendly staff who welcome visitors, check tickets quickly and carefully, hand out name tags and wish for a nice event — without any delays caused by waiting in line or searching for the appropriate name tag: this is what efficient participant management should look like.

The more visitors are expected and the more guest groups they form, the more complex the registration and Admission process. Short waiting times and smooth check-in confirm the professionalism of an event.

Quick admission and cheerful staff immediately increase comfort for visitors and participants and pave the way for a successful event. Efficient, digital participant management that enables a smooth process is essential for this. The system must be fast because the volume of guests is high. The focus here is on satisfied visitors who get access quickly and easily.

Instead of pre-produced and alphabetically sorted name tags, a professional, automated and, above all, faster saves On-site printing long waiting times.

Private visitors who have already paid their tickets online go straight to the entrance, scan their QR code and get access to the exhibition without extending the waiting times of trade visitors, who have to register on site and pick up their name tag on their first visit.

And finally, using software for participant management also means that all collected data can be evaluated after the event. How many guests were actually at the event, on which days were they there? Which guests were not reached via the system? Important data to further optimize participant management in the future.