How AnswerLogic Won Best of Show for Their eCRM Conference Booth

CHALLENGE
Last Fall, new eCRM company AnswerLogic decided to launch their online customer interaction software at the CRM/Support Services Expo. The Company needed to drive qualified leads to their booth; and, to make the most of them once they got there. Matt Arozian, VP Creative Services for AnswerLogic's agency, ENC Marketing, says, "AnswerLogic's 20x30 booth was up against companies who had 50x50 booths further in the front."

CAMPAIGN
AnswerLogic launched its booth traffic-generation drive with a classic pre-show mailer. Arozian says, "We sent a postcard via first class mail about two weeks before the show. It read 'Don't gamble with your customer relationship. Learn how you can make the Web your first line of customer care at the CRM/Support Services Expo.'" The booth number was mentioned in three places.

Next Arozian's team blanketed the show itself with invitations to visit the booth, including a full-page ad in the printed show directory, a seven-foot sign in the registration area and a hotel room drop whereby plastic bags containing invitations were hung on selected attendees' door handles.

Plus, AnswerLogic gave all booth visitors a special blinking badge to wear on the show floor -- and cleverly promised attendees that roving prize spotters would be looking for people wearing the badges on the show floor to give gifts to. Arozian says, "We didn't have the advance time to do it, but it would be great to do this in the future with different colored lights to indicate hot and cold leads."

The booth itself was designed to look like a casino. Arozian says, "Our challenge was to explain to attendees what the product is, why it's different and how they could use it. To do that you really need to get someone in front of a computer so they can see it in action." So, ENC created an entertaining casino game that was itself an ongoing product demonstration.

Joy Sandler ENC's Senior Account Manager (who worked until 2am the day before the show getting the booth ready) explains, "Players were given chips to bet on what the answer would be for a topical question about eCRM. Then the MC said, 'OK, let's ask AnswerLogic!' and the answer would come up on a giant screen mounted at a focal point in the booth. Winners could cash in chips to get prizes."

After the show, AnswerLogic's internal sales team carefully followed up with everyone who'd visited the booth. Arozian says, "They didn't make the classic mistake of generating lots of leads and then never doing anything about it."

RESULTS
Sandler says, "The booth was definitely the show's big bang -- the show stopper. Everyone on the floor kept on coming up to say 'You have the best event here.' It really had a huge impact."

Arozian says, "If you can get somebody imagining themselves in their minds using your product, it's a short step from there to getting them to actually purchase it. I don't think a lecture or a brochure with bullet points will ever stack up against getting them involved in a fun, relevant interaction with it."

ENC's traffic generation tactics certainly worked, the booth was full to capacity at every single game session. And by the time the show was over AnswerLogic had 484 new warm or hot leads to follow up on -- a total of 6.9% of show attendees.