Why Use NFC for Trade Show Participation in India?

You must’ve seen the reel craze around the India International Trade Show last year. The last edition did a business of 1500 crore in 15 days. 

Do you know what it means? 

It means that the exhibitors who participated in the show registered a collective revenue (or business) of this amount in a short period. 

With digital marketing getting costly and competitive, the craze for offline trade shows is growing every quarter. 

• 3000-5000 trade shows, exhibitions, and fairs are organized every year in India, on average. Here’s the list of upcoming shows; 
• For the India International Trade Fair 2023, as many as 3,500 exhibitors from India and other countries participated; 
• Over 40,000 visitors visited the fair daily, with footfalls as high as 100,000 per day during the weekends. 

Problems with Tradeshow Participation in India

We all have fond memories of visiting local mela, trade fairs, and ‘Khadi Mela’ in childhood. The stalls and shops fascinated all of us. 

But there’s more to tradeshow participation than just consumer & D2C sales. B2B trade shows are a big thing, and companies invest a lot of money in trade show participation: 

• On average, attending trade shows accounts for about 31.6% of a company's marketing budget; 
• About 14% of a trade show budget is used for travel and lodging expenses for employees; 
• Exhibitors can spend between $600 and $1,500 on their trade show displays in the US; The average cost to exhibit at a trade show is $10,000 to $30,000 per show; 
• Other costs include shipping booth materials ($2,000 to $5,000), renting a 20x20 exhibit space ($15,000 to $20,000), and other expenses like renting or purchasing equipment and furniture, designing the booth, staffing, and utilities. 

In India, the costs are lower than global participation. But wherever you participate, there are some problems with trade show participation and lead generation: 

40% of exhibitors wait between three to five days after a trade show to follow up with leads, leading to forgetfulness and lost chances.

But the problem doesn’t end here…

• Inefficient lead management processes. Traditional methods often involve manual entry or managing business cards which is time-consuming and prone to errors. Paper forms and spreadsheets are inefficient for managing attendee information. 

• Low attendee engagement. The cumbersome discovery process and difficulty accessing information negatively impact the attendee experience. Moreover, attendees are not engaged by regular paper takeaway dockets anymore, leading to lower interest in your product or service. 
• Competitive nature of the shows. Most trade shows have your competitors exhibiting, too. So, there’s a chance that prospects are just window shopping, leading to wastage of efforts, time and money in lead nurturing. 

Solving Trade Show Participation Troubles with NFC

NFC or near-field communication makes data transfer and lead capturing easy. By adding NFC-enabled cards and tags in your trade show kit, you can solve a lot of troubles – from the frustration of lost contacts to the environmental toll of printed materials. 

Here’s what’s possible: 

• Rapid Lead Capture: Never miss a beat. Capture leads in an instant.
• No More Lost Contacts: Digital storage means your prospects are always visible, and you don’t misplace lead forms; 
• Privacy-First Networking: Share your contact info and everything else with peace of mind. Also, promise leads secure lead capture by connecting to a central dashboard. 
• Measure and Learn: Track your visitors and interactions from a single dashboard – see how many people tapped your promotional material, how many leads were submitted, and more. 

With NFC, you're not just participating in a trade show but redefining how lead management happens. Here are the problems you’ve been facing and how NFC solves them in depth: 

Improve the Inefficient Lead Capture Process

Problem: Collecting business cards or filling out forms is time-consuming and error-prone.

Solution: NFC-enabled EngagePro card streamlines the lead capture process by instantly sharing contact information digitally and capturing leads from an in-built form that can be accessed from a central dashboard or your email. This technology allows for digital data collection and management, making the process faster and more organized.

Utilize Limited Time Available 

Problem: Salespeople have limited time to interact with each visitor due to high booth traffic.

Solution: By quickly sharing information via the Engagepro card, salespeople can prioritize more in-depth conversations with interested parties.

Never Lose or Misplace Contact Info

Problem: Physical business cards or lead forms can be easily lost or mixed up after the event.

Solution: EngagePro stores every lead centrally, making integration with CRM and retrieval quick. 

Minimize Follow-up Delays

Problem: Delayed follow-ups can occur due to the need to sort and enter contact information post-event.

Solution: Instant lead info sharing with sales team / integration with CRM allows for timely follow-ups while the lead's interest is still high.

Reduce Data Entry Errors

Problem: Manual data entry is prone to errors, leading to communication issues.

Solution: Digital capturing and sharing of lead data reduces the risk of typos and incorrect information being recorded.

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint 

Problem: Excessive printing of marketing materials and business cards is not eco-friendly.

Solution: Digital sharing is more sustainable and reduces the carbon footprint of trade show participation.

Offer Clarity & Brevity 

Problem: Attendees may feel overwhelmed by the printed material to carry and sort through later.

Solution: Receiving information digitally is less burdensome and allows for easier management of gathered materials.

Deal with the Inability to Measure Engagement

Problem: Tracking which materials or interactions were most engaging for attendees is challenging.

Solution: Digital interactions can be tracked and analyzed for engagement metrics, providing valuable insights.

Post-Event Engagement Drop-off

Problem: Maintaining attendee engagement after the event is often difficult.

Solution: Immediate addition to a WhatsApp contact list/CRM starts the process of ongoing communication and relationship-building post-event.

Want to implementing these solutions in your next trade show? 

All the above problems are real and have a negative impact on your ROIs from a trade show. But how do you implement all this, along with already piling up responsibilities of participating in a trade show? 

Well, here are some ideas: 

1. Create a digital business card; 
2. Plan for a booth design with NFC-enabled interaction tags; 
3. Think of ways to gamify NFC interaction (and reward attendees); 
4. Prepare to digitize your trade show marketing kit; 
5. Get an NFC card for trade show participation

You can do all this on your own or talk to a vendor specializing in NFC trade show kit. Need help? Connect with me via my card or drop a line at arsachdeva@bizlitesolutions.com and we'll be happy to guide you. 

All the best!