I'm writing this from my office, and occasionally staring across the room at the still-full messenger bag I brought back from Dreamforce in early December. It's been more than two months since that conference, and yet there the bag sits. Unopened. Forgotten. Full of collateral, sales sheets, white papers, who knows what else.
The conference itself was fantastic. Great speakers, great networking, many interesting exhibitors. I followed up with a few I had particular interest in, but quickly forgot about the rest as I settled back into my regular routine.
Any of us who attend trade shows or events develop temporary Attention Deficit Disorder. It's impossible to avoid. Hundreds of booths vying for your attention, in between meeting after meeting. Then you hit the party circuit, get a couple hours of sleep, and do it again.
There's no way you can remember everybody, everything. All that money spent by sponsors and exhibitors to get your attention. And it worked. At least it worked two months ago.
I have a bag full of collateral from I don't know how many vendors. A stack of business cards from vendors who told me they'd follow up.
All that time, energy and money to engage me at the show. And how many have followed up? Not many. Not enough.
The most important part of event marketing happens after the event. You've made your impression. Now, after the dust has settled, make sure you capitalize and convert.