Optimizing MSP Conferences, Trade Shows and Industry Events

As we gear up for ScaleCon 2024, we're thinking about all the opportunities ahead—great conversations, valuable connections, and potential partnerships. Whether you're a business owner or a salesperson, you've probably considered attending or sponsoring some kind of industry event or conference. It can be a great way to increase your company’s visibility and generate new sales leads all in a relatively short amount of time. Though we should also keep in mind that success won't materialize without significant effort by all employees involved.

Often, the biggest barrier to attending industry events isn’t just the financial investment. It’s a combination of money, time, and the energy required to get the most out of the experience. This can all lead to hesitation about whether the return will be worth all the effort. 

That concern is quite justified. Without a focused approach, you risk letting new sales leads and business opportunities slip through the cracks.

To help you make the most out of conferences, trade shows, and events, we’ve put together a quick guide for these two important pieces: 

1. Choosing the Right Event: Deciding if a conference aligns with your business goals and objectives.
2. Maximizing Your Success: Crafting a winning strategy for lead generation and capitalizing on every opportunity the event offers.

What are your sales, marketing or personal development goals? Getting clear on your objectives is the first step towards determining if you should invest in a conference.  Are you looking to expand your lead pipeline, build stronger relationships, or sharpen your skill set? Defining this will help you evaluate whether an event supports your broader business strategy. Some potential benefits of attending conferences for MSPs might include:

• Finding new marketing leads 
• Booking demo appointments
• Closing warm leads who will also be in attendance
• Meeting with existing customers at the event
• Building brand awareness
• Learning a new skill

Use the following questions as guidelines for evaluating whether a conference opportunity is a good fit - and whether it makes more sense to participate as a vendor/sponsor, or rather to simply attend:

1. Will there be a sizable group of my ideal customer profile (ICP) attending?
2. Does the potential return on this event exceed the return I would get from investing in my normal marketing channels? 
3. What opportunities are available for me to engage with my target audience? As an attendee? As a vendor? As a sponsor? 
4. Do I have the resources I need to present my company well and consistently engage with attendees? (For vendor and sponsorship opportunities) 
5. Are the sessions focused on topics that I can apply to my organization? 

If you’ve decided to participate in an upcoming conference or industry event, let’s consider how to build a strategy that ensures you'll get the most out of it. Use this comprehensive Events Readiness Guide to prepare you and your team in the weeks leading up to the big day:

1.  Logistics and Planning

• Secure Accommodations: Take advantage of room blocks and early-bird specials to secure the lowest prices. Notify team members early to lock in schedules.
• Travel Coordination: Synchronize flight arrivals to ensure all team members arrive on time and share ground transportation for cost savings where possible.
• Booth & Display Setup: Confirm booth dimensions, power requirements, and any other setup needs with your marketing team. Bring backup supplies (batteries, extension cords, tape/velcro, tools).
• Internal Communications: Determine the most efficient communication platform (Slack, text, etc.) for your team during the event. 
• Customer Communication: Establish a protocol for how customers and prospects will be able to reach you while at the event (app?)
   

2. Scheduling

• Appointments with Clients/Prospects: In advance of the event, schedule meetings with prospects and attending clients. Use the opportunity to deepen relationships, showcase solutions, or advance deals. As an example, Marketing could be assigned to fill every hour of a CEOs availability with a meeting.
• Event Calendar: Map out the key sessions, breakout discussions, and networking events your team should attend in a sharable calendar. 

3. Marketing Materials

• Elevator Pitch: Craft and refine a 30- to 60-second pitch that clearly communicates the value of your MSP services. Challenge each team member to see if they can deliver it.
• Social Media Promotion: Prepare posts (text, graphics, video) to promote your presence before, during, and after the event. Encourage team members to post live updates using an agreed-upon hashtag.
• Custom Landing Page: Create a dedicated landing page for conference attendees with a compelling call to action (CTA), such as booking a demo, getting a copy of your presentation, or scheduling a consultation.
• Booth Design & Branding: Work with marketing to design booth banners, signage, and branded backdrops. 
• Business Cards & Branded Swag: Ensure team members have enough business cards, a QR code or another method for easy contact sharing. Unique and memorable branded merchandise can also be useful.
• Printed Materials: Prepare handouts, brochures, and one-pagers summarizing your services, case studies, and success stories. 

4. Team Training

• Select Team Members: Pick 2–3 key team members to represent your company. Focus on those who are well-versed in your offerings and can engage effectively.
• Training Sessions: Assign training materials at least 4 weeks before the event. Provide clear talking points, including how to handle frequently asked questions and common objections.
• Role Assignments: Designate clear roles for each team member—who’s in charge of lead capture, who handles product demos, and who manages booth traffic. You may want to assign someone for on-site marketing (photo, video, etc).
• Calls to Action (CTA): Decide on your key CTAs, whether it’s booking a follow-up call, signing up for a trial, or scheduling a demo. Can team members guide toward these CTAs?

5. Lead Capture & Follow-up

• Lead Collection: Use an app or scanner to capture leads and notes in real time. 
• Sort Contacts: Classify leads according to their status (cold, warm, ready to purchase)
• Follow-Up Workflow: Craft a 3-4 week campaign for the post-event follow-up including outgoing emails, scheduling calls, and nurturing leads in the days after the event.
• CRM Integration: Ensure all collected lead data is promptly entered into your CRM system and assign follow-up tasks.

6. Post-Event Review

• Team Debrief: Schedule a post-event meeting to review the event’s outcome. Analyze what went well, what didn’t, and lessons learned for future events.
• Lead Prioritization: Review and prioritize leads based on interest level and next steps. Set clear ownership for the follow-up actions.
• Track Sales: Ensure you have a report that will display closed business associated with the event
• Event ROI Assessment: Assess the return on investment (ROI) by comparing costs to the number of new leads, demos scheduled, deals closed, and your perceived impact on brand awareness.

To really get the most out of your investment in a trade show or industry event, preparation is the key. By carefully planning logistics, refining your on-site lead-gen strategy, getting your team versed on it, and having a solid follow-up process lined up, you will make a return on investment possible. 

MSP events provide a chance to connect with potential clients, renew contracts with existing customers, and showcase your leadership in the IT services space. With the right approach, your team will walk in confident and equipped to make the most of every interaction.