From Trade Fair Contact to Opportunity
in 24 Hours

An integrated trade fair app solution was implemented for the machine manufacturer, combining digital lead capture, CRM connectivity, multimedia support, stand organisation and automated follow-up communication in a seamless process.

The customer uses the app at international trade fairs to deploy division-specific conversation forms in multiple language variants. This allows trade fair conversations to be documented in a structured, consistent manner that is still tailored to the respective product area. A multimedia section complements this, making product brochures, videos and other sales-support content available directly during the conversation.

Another component is the Communication Center. Through it, staff members can check in and out at the exhibition stand within the app. The information point therefore has a real-time overview at all times of which individuals are available at the stand and which contacts can be called upon for specific topics, divisions or conversations.

The trade fair app is connected live to the CRM. Because a significant proportion of trade fair visitors already exist as contacts in the CRM, existing customer data can be used and updated directly during the conversation. At the same time, new leads are captured in a structured way and immediately prepared for further processing.

In addition, the app is directly connected to the Marketing Automation suite. Follow-up communication can therefore be delivered automatically on the basis of the trade fair conversation, the captured interests and the lead score – in the name of the person who captured the data in the app or the account manager assigned in the CRM.

The goal was to qualify trade fair contacts not only after manual follow-up work, but to move them into a usable lead status, a suitable communication journey or a concrete opportunity within 24 hours of the conversation.

Before the integrated trade fair app was introduced, trade fair lead processing was heavily characterised by manual intermediate steps. Contacts were partly captured on paper, in Excel spreadsheets or in isolated forms. Structured evaluation of the conversation, direct assignment to product interests or automatic forwarding to sales and marketing were only possible to a limited extent.

Particularly challenging was the fact that many trade fair visitors were already existing contacts. Without live access to CRM data, there was a risk of creating duplicates, failing to recognise existing customer relationships or not assigning conversation information cleanly to the correct account. At the same time, new contacts needed to be qualified quickly and moved into the appropriate follow-up process.

The post-fair follow-up was also highly time-consuming. Follow-ups often had to be created manually, recipients checked, account managers assigned and content compiled individually. This regularly delayed outreach to potential customers by several days – time during which conversation relevance, purchase intent and momentum could be lost.

There was also the ambition to evaluate trade fair conversations in a more differentiated way. Not every contact should automatically be passed to sales. Low-scoring leads should first be moved into suitable lead nurturing or qualification campaigns. Contacts with high relevance, by contrast, should be immediately visible in the CRM, routed to the right responsible parties and, where appropriate, automatically created as an opportunity.

The challenge was therefore to transform a traditional trade fair lead process into a seamless lead-to-opportunity process – with clean data capture, CRM matching, automated scoring, personalised communication and clear accountability within sales.

An integrated trade fair app solution was built for the machine manufacturer that closely connects trade fair conversations, CRM, Marketing Automation and lead routing.

The solution comprises the following central components:

Division-specific digital forms

Dedicated conversation forms were created for different product areas and business divisions. These are available in multiple language variants and enable structured capture of interests, requirements, project status, investment timeline, priority and conversation outcome.

Live connection to the CRM

The app accesses CRM contacts live during the trade fair conversation. Existing contacts can be found, selected and updated. New leads are created in a structured way. This prevents existing contacts from being captured as duplicates or relevant account information from being overlooked.

Multimedia section for advisory conversations

Product brochures, videos and additional content are available directly within the app. Sales and trade fair teams can thereby show suitable materials during the conversation and use them later as the basis for follow-up communication.

Communication Center for stand organisation

Via the Communication Center, staff members check in and out within the app. The information point can see at all times which contacts are available at the stand. This allows conversations to be routed more quickly to the right experts, division managers or account managers.

Direct connection to Marketing Automation

The captured conversation information is passed to the Marketing Automation suite. This enables automated follow-ups to be triggered on the basis of product interest, language, industry, lead status, contact person and conversation context.

Personalised follow-up communication

Follow-up emails are delivered in a needs-oriented manner – either in the name of the person who captured the data in the app or the account manager assigned in the CRM. Content, images, product information and calls-to-action are dynamically tailored to target group, role and interest.

Automated lead scoring and status logic

On the basis of the captured data, the lead is immediately assigned a status. Criteria such as product interest, project phase, investment timeline, industry, region and priority determine whether the contact is moved into a nurturing journey, further qualification or directly into the sales process.

Automated lead routing

Trade fair leads are automatically distributed to the right individuals on the basis of the account manager assignment in the CRM as well as by region, product interest, industry and priority. This creates clear accountability directly after the trade fair conversation.

Opportunity creation and task generation

When scoring is sufficiently high, opportunities are automatically generated in the CRM. Relevant stakeholders are added. In addition, to-dos are created for the account manager or the back office so that further processing can begin immediately.

Dynamic email and landing page templates

Dynamic content blocks are available for different target groups and roles – such as sales, IT, service or technical decision-makers. Depending on available data and interests, suitable content is delivered, for example product information, videos, brochures, consultation appointments or technical detail pages.

The result is a seamless process from digital trade fair capture to qualified opportunity – without media breaks, without manual re-sorting and with significantly accelerated further processing.

With the integrated trade fair app, the machine manufacturer was able to professionalise and accelerate the entire trade fair lead process. Trade fair contacts are no longer collected in isolation but are immediately moved into a structured CRM and Marketing Automation logic.

Particularly valuable is the combination of conversation capture, live CRM access and automated follow-up processing. Existing contacts are recognised, new leads are created cleanly, interests are documented in a differentiated way and follow-on processes are started immediately.

The concrete benefits for the company:

• Structured digital capture of trade fair conversations by division, language and product interest
• Direct access to existing CRM contacts during the conversation
• Fewer duplicates and higher data quality
• Better use of existing account and contact information
• Centralised provision of brochures, videos and product information within the app
• Better conversation quality through rapid access to relevant content
• Transparent stand organisation through check-in and check-out in the Communication Center
• Real-time overview for the information point of available contacts
• Automated follow-up communication based on the actual content of the conversation
• Personalised outreach in the name of the app user or account manager
• Automatic lead scoring directly after data capture
• Clear lead routing by account responsibility, region, industry, product interest and priority
• Automatic handover of relevant leads to sales, back office or marketing
• Automated creation of opportunities for high-quality leads
• Faster creation of to-dos and follow-on activities in the CRM
• Differentiated lead nurturing journeys for contacts not yet ready for sales

The core added value lies in the fact that trade fair contacts are not evaluated days or weeks after the event, but move into suitable sales and marketing processes almost in real time.