Delegates at our Data and Dining event in March 2020 welcomed Hina Mistry, Project Director at the global independent experience company – Imagination.

Hina talked to the group about the importance of planning by numbers – using the right metrics to measure and improve the impact of clients’ exhibitions and activations. She shared her experience of supporting clients to create successful stands and how the right numbers drive the decisions.

 

The big numbers

Organisers are the first to use numbers to create the ‘buzz’. “One of the biggest events in the industry”, “Attended by almost all the professionals in the industry” and “This event is the focal point for decision makers in the industry” are frequent claims. But do the big numbers mean anything for you and your return on investment?

Similarly, brands’ expectations from their activations often need further analysis and quantification. Hina talks to brands about what success looks like for them. She shared the phrases she often hears –   “Impactful presence wow factor – it’s the biggest event in the industry” “All our competitors will be there – we need to be the most innovative” “The industry to see we are the leaders” “The stand that must be visited”. All need quantifying.

Hina shared an example of a recent client and how she used data to help dig deeper and evaluate their existing stand, before making recommendations for the future.

The right numbers

Rather than chasing broad targets, all exhibitors need to ask themselves questions such as:

  • How many people are crossing our threshold? How long are they staying and are they returning?
  • What parts of the stand are they engaging with?
  • How are the meeting rooms being used?
  • What if a low percentage of the organisers’ attendance figures visit the stand?
  • Are the figures robust and is the stand happy with their numbers? It may be that although the number was low, the people were exactly those that the stand was really targeting and therefore high value, rather than the ‘gift-grabbers’.

Accurate figures such as those supplied by our sensors help provide the facts that can drive these discussions and make effective decisions. 

 

Don’t go down a rabbit hole

Hina did leave the event delegates with a useful tip  – don’t go down a rabbit hole. The wealth of data available means you can get too involved with one particular metric. As Einstein said:  “Not everything that counts can be counted. Not everything that can be counted counts.”

Get in touch and we’ll give you the data you need. And you don’t need to be Einstein to use it well.