Beyond Booths and Badges: What Exhibitors Really Need from Your Event
(Part 1 of our Love Your Sponsor Series — Read Part 2; Part 3)
Exhibitors sign contracts, ship booths, and show up smiling, but behind the scenes, they’re asking: “Was this worth it?”
Their expectations go far beyond foot traffic and logo placement. They’re looking for business outcomes: qualified conversations, accelerated deals, and indisputable ROI. Exhibitors may not voice these concerns immediately. But they’ll show you how they feel by deciding whether or not to come back.
That’s why you can’t wait until renewal conversations to figure out what they needed. When you understand what exhibitors expect today and the pressure they’re under to deliver commercial outcomes, you can shape their success and secure their return.
Here’s what your exhibitors are optimizing for:
- Pipeline and pipeline velocity (not badge scans): Did we meet the right people, and will deals move faster because of it?
- Qualified conversations (not booth traffic): Were our booth visitors in our ICP, or were they just grabbing candy?
- Quantitative ROI (not anecdotal “it felt good, the booth was busy”): Can we prove this was worth it in numbers?
- Partnership (not just transactional support): Did the organizer help us win, or just process our invoice and assign a table?
When you help exhibitors check these boxes, you’ve made yourself invaluable.
10 Ways You Can Help Sponsors Succeed
You’re not responsible for your exhibitors’ sales pipeline. But you can create conditions that give them a better chance at goal attainment. Here are 10 practical ways to make that happen:
- Make sure the sponsors are right for your attendees.
It’s hard to decline a sponsorship, but there’s no positive outcome for any party – you, the sponsor, or attendees, if you’re not pursuing sponsors that you believe in good faith have earned visibility on your attendees’ radars. - Be strategic about booth placement.
Yes, everyone wants a spot near the coffee station (so to speak). But good placement is about more than perks. Challenge yourself to understand what is the best opportunity for relevant traffic to a sponsor’s booth. Consider the attendee journey, thematic adjacencies, and even competitor proximity. Who complements whom? Who’s targeting the same personas? Smart placement = better traffic = happier sponsors. - Avoid clustering smaller sponsors in ‘lesser’ zones.
We’ve all seen it: smaller booths pushed into the same low-traffic corner. It might make logistics easier – and yes – bigger sponsorships command premium spaces – but it doesn’t inspire sponsors to grow their investment next year. Ask yourself: What’s the best way to showcase these partners so they’re set up for success even if they have a small footprint right now? (Pro tip: I’m not just talking about booth placement.) - Arm your sponsors with attendee contact permissions.
Tough one, I know. Obviously, your attendees deserve your trust and registration is not a proxy for permission. But ensure you bend over backwards to obtain that permission. Logically your primary goal is registration but an opt-in to your valuable sponsors has to be a very high priority as well. Work hard to get opt-ins from attendees that allow your exhibitors to follow up in meaningful, respectful ways. That might mean offering tiered options like the following examples:
– I’m open to receiving education content from sponsors.
– I’m OK with one email follow-up after the event.
Make it easy for attendees to say yes, and easy for sponsors to connect right away.
- Help exhibitors meet attendee expectations.
It’s not just about what your exhibitors want, it’s about what your attendees want from them. If you can position sponsors as value contributors, not pitch machines, everyone wins. One idea: include a question in registration like, “Which of the following topics would you like to hear about from sponsors?” Use that data to help exhibitors tailor their presence. - Ask: “What does success look like for you?”
This one question can change the tone of your whole sponsorship program. When you understand what an individual exhibitor is trying to achieve, whether it’s visibility with a new segment or conversations with 10 key accounts, you can recommend relevant opportunities or even make direct introductions onsite. - Don’t underestimate a checklist.
A simple pre-show planning checklist can go a long way. Include reminders to prepare staff talking points, ideas for pre-show outreach, and to set a method for connecting after each day of the event. If there are deadlines for ad design, mini-sponsorships, or content contributions, indicate them in one centralized, printable or interactive planning sheet. - Provide lead retrieval guidance early.
Lead retrieval is sometimes an afterthought, but it’s foundational to how exhibitors measure success. Explain how they work early. Provide FAQs. Offer recommendations for maximizing value. And make sure the data they capture is accessible quickly post-show. - Host an ‘Exhibitor Success’ kickoff session.
It doesn’t need to be long. A 10-minute video, a short webinar, or even a slide deck can give sponsors quick tips on how to drive traffic, connect with attendees, and follow up effectively. - Unleash your imagination when it comes to sponsorships.
Standard booth packages are fantastic – don’t fix it if ain’t broken. But what if you could offer something more bespoke and commercial? Think podcast interviews, sponsored content tied to attendee pain points, hosted buyer meetings, or VIP tour introductions. With Resiada, you could sell a sponsorship of a welcome gift to attendees that arrives at attendee hotel rooms.
Don’t Just Sell Space. Build Sponsors for Life.
When you enable your sponsors’ commercial outcomes, you’re not just improving event ROI. You’re building long-term loyalty, renewal momentum, and reputation as a strategic partner in their growth.
👉 We’re going to explore this topic in greater detail. Next week we’ll cover how to help exhibitors succeed before they even arrive. Stay tuned! For now, keep learning about exhibitor management.
