So I rock up to the event, queue at the registration desk, collect the name badge and then it's "Oh no, I'm now a bar code!". I walk towards the entrance and the burly guy lifts his red laser gun to shoot me before entry, I try to ignore it and say to myself in a robot voice "I must assimilate..." Okay so now I'm on the tradeshow floor, only to find out each booth has one of those damn guns as well. I walk up and try to start a conversation but many of them are focused on zapping me first! I much prefer to start out with a hand shake than a red laser beam, however I dutifully submit to being scanned, collect my brochures and walk away.
From an Exhibitors point of view, these whiz bang guns aren't that great either. Each time, they have to make the awkward decision of when it's appropriate to request the zap, they need to carry the guns and in most cases still won't have immediate or free access to the information collected, perhaps waiting weeks for the reports. Depending on the platform, the reports may show names and emails, but still can't tell you what information people were interested in.
So what is the alternative you ask.... and please don't say "Place your business card in the goldfish bowl to win a free iPad!"
Of the many methods I have seen in operation, I have to say that Poken wins hands down on every front. At this point I should own up to being the Australian re-seller of this great lead generation platform, but I can honestly say it can't be beaten and here's why:
- The neat little Poken device which can be custom branded, hangs nicely on your lanyard. Meaning no bulky gun for the exhibitor, no impersonal barcode for the delegate.
- The Poken handshake, touching the hands together until they glow, is a mutual exchange of information and simulates a real life handshake. Some people Poken as they introduce themselves, others wait until they are about to move on but either way it feels like a natural human interaction.
- Poken is fun! Unlike bar codes which do nothing to create a buzz or encourage networking, Poken is a great icebreaker and really gets the chatter started.
- Exhibitors collect and control their own information, they can sync their Poken device to their online profile at any time and see who they have exchanged information with.
- Each booth can have electronic brochures loaded on to Poken tags, the delegate simply touches their Poken on the tag to collect the information. Not only does this reduce paper waste... Yay!, each exhibitor has access to their own tag information including what was collected, when, by whom and even if it has been opened!
