How to stop high-end buyers feeling stalked at trade shows

High-end buyers feel stalked at trade shows which means organizers need meeting formats that curate without overwhelming them, according to an events industry expert.

Miguel Neves, founder of miguelseven.com, argues that the next gains in event ROI will come from providing value to buyers – not from filling their calendars.

Part of that solution can be found in offering a range of meeting formats best designed to meet their goals and interests.

He said: “I find that the high-end buyer or the end-user client – I think they feel a bit stalked when they come to events.

“So anything where there’s more personalization, where they can really choose the people they want to meet, but also have some room for serendipity. Because you’re never going to find that startup that does something really cool if you’re only meeting with the customers you know you have to speak to.”

Organizers can provide value to buyers through curated matchmaking on the buyer’s behalf, provided it is done well.

Miguel added: “If you’re saying, ‘We’re going to do some really good matchmaking, we’re going to find the right people for you and then we’re going to set you up in a way that really works’ – that’s really cool. 

“If they can pull that off, then meeting formats are certainly a part of that. I don’t think it’s the only part of the solution – I think it has to be a bigger thing.”

The Stalked Buyer

A crucial problem is that the buyers organizers most want are the least keen on a packed schedule.

That leaves organizers courting these VIPs while protecting them from the volume of meetings that suits suppliers.

Miguel – who is an expert contributor to the Meetings Engine ebook – also set out how intermediaries such as event agencies or venue sourcing companies that are both buyers and sellers search for valuable products for their clients and have a booked-up diary of appointments.

He said: “For some buyers, there’s a strong appeal to meeting with 10, 20 suppliers that have something that’s interesting for them.

“But in industries where there are third parties – the intermediaries looking for interesting solutions to sell to their clients – they’re the ones that are going to want to take 20, 30 appointments and fill their calendar and know everybody.

“I don’t see a lot of energy with the direct buyers around filling up their calendars. So for organizers, it’s a tough balance. You want that high-end buyer to be among the people attending, but they don’t want to be overwhelmed.”

Miguel believes technology can take some buyers part of the way but not all of it.

He added: “Some people can use the tools and get recommendations, probably the ones that input more details about themselves and what they’re looking for. I know the technology can be useful there. But, when it comes to serendipity, I don’t know what the solution is.”

The Stale Aisle

Meanwhile, Miguel argues that part of the problem is a format that both attendees and exhibitors have grown tired of.

That is the general trade show format – the idea that you walk into a hall and there’s a room of people exhibiting and you meet with them. 

It was put forward that this approach has a connotation of “being a little stale”.

He believes attendees are now measuring trade shows against experience-led events such as SXSW, where activations spill out well beyond the conference itself.

Miguel said: “Those really stand out as experiences and I think people want that.”

Exhibitors face the same trade-off from the other side – weighing the standard booth against costlier experiential activations.

Miguel added: “If you try to be more creative and more experiential, you get a better experience, you impress people more, the brand recognition is better – but there’s a higher cost. 

“So somewhere in the middle of all that is this desire to try different things. Hosted buyer events, appointments, roundtables, mixing things up – I think that’s quite desirable.”

Tweaking the Formula

Findings from the Meetings Engine ebook survey back this up – with 91% of respondents planning to introduce new meeting formats such as speed networking, roundtables and hosted buyer programs.

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Miguel set out this appeal comes from formats that change the experience without changing what organizers sell.

He said: “I’m not sure there’s a perfect solution, but I think everybody’s trying to figure out how they can tweak things and improve the ROI – how do you make it more interesting for the attendee, the buyer or the exhibitor?

“Mixing up meeting formats is not going to dramatically change the business model or the revenue model. Getting that formula right would be a good win for anybody trying to do it.”

Serendipity Is Not Mass-Produced

Miguel also doubts claims that AI can already personalize an entire show floor.

Part of the answer put forward is editorial – a human eye that separates the genuinely different from the rest.

This is one of the most important combinations for making sure this increasing intelligent technology is truly optimized – AI efficiency with human focus.

Miguel said: “When I look through properties, I have a certain editorial lens and I try to pick out the wheat from the chaff.”

His example comes from a what’s-new guide to hotels and venues he produced around IMEX.

He said: “I found a hotel – it was an Italian company that launched a hotel in northern Morocco with 11 little villas in the middle of a small town. 

“It’s exclusive and high-end, but you’re really in the middle of the town and you’re helping the townspeople get jobs. 

“One of the people I know at IMEX ended up taking a holiday there and she said, ‘This is exactly what it promises to be and it was a wonderful experience.’ 

“And that was in the middle of hundreds of convention hotels that are all about maximum number of rooms and luxury service. So I think there’s still a role for human editorial curation.”

Miguel doubts an algorithm would have surfaced unless someone had asked specifically for outliers.

He added: “How many people are prompting their personalization engine with that prompt? ‘I need a hotel for my events, find me hotels’ – that’s what people are going to be searching for. 

“Serendipity is not a mass-produced thing.”

Miguel is an expert contributor to the Meetings Engine ebook. Get access now to uncover connection strategies, revenue options, new formats and the technology behind it all.