Tradeshow booth event lead capture recommendations

Hi Michelle, 

We don't currently use this, but this could be an option for you? 

marketo.com/global-enterprise/marketo-lead-management/event-marketing/mobile-event-check-in.php

Have you tried the app?

itunes.apple.com/us/app/id522766637?mt=8

marketo.com/global-enterprise/marketo-lead-management/event-marketing/mobile-event-check-in.php

I've done custom LPs/Forms before that booth-goers would fill out (We had to incentivize them to fill out their info...). That one really worked well becuase I worked for a PC manuf and the customers were able to use our products to fill out the form.

Beat me to it, Michelle M!

Love the idea of the Marketo app... just curious on people's experience using it on a busy tradeshow floor to collect new data, vs. checking in folks to an event where the guests are mainly pre-registered and already part of a program or attendee list? I haven't used the app yet (and looks like the demo link on that page takes you to a Marketo overview demo - not a demo of the app itself). Seems like use at a pre-populated event would make check-in and updating program status a cinch...  but at a tradeshow,  you may be checking people in for pre-set appointments, but you also have new, walk-up leads to contend with, requiring form fill-outs to capture info on the fly (taking the place of scanning a badge and collecting info which is generally deeper than a short form fill can provide).

My biggest concerns with ANY lead collection process at tradeshows are:
- dependability of gathering and saving the data whether or not there's connectivity
- being able to quickly and non-invasively collect data to keep the limited time you have with someone focused on serving their needs, and being able to qualify them so your follow-up is as relevant as possible

- Does the app work in offline mode? Meaning, if there's spotty/no wifi, etc. in the expo hall (or amssive interference making connectivity difficult), will it collect and save data without fail, then sync to Marketo automatically once a dependable connection is available?

- Can you use hidden fields, to auto-populate pre-specified data (or would you have to do this on the back-end through trigger campaigns?)

- With any new data capture, form fields would have to be short... in a busy expo floor environment, you might get a group of 5+ people from one company show up at the same time, want to gather information and depart. You sometimes don't have time to stop each individual in a group and collect deep data - and the process/interruption of data collection can be awkward (this is where asking if you can quickly scan their badges generally works best, allowing them to carry-on a conversation while you simultaneously get all of their info.) Of course, a short form fill can absolutely work... you just have to rely on progressive profiling forms on the back-end to collect deeper data.

if you've had good success with this at tradeshows, I'd love to hear and learn from your experience!  - Jen

Hi everyone! Thanks for all the responses/feedback on this!

Yes, we've tried the Marketo app already and we are not able to add custom fields to capture what we want.

@Charlton: yes, that is true that we can create a custom LP/form, but it's difficult to capture the data quickly with the amount of foot traffic to the booth and we would not be able to keep up with the volume.

Has anyone tried using the event partners promoted on launchpoint here: http://launchpoint.marketo.com/applications/event-marketing? Any recommendations on a good one?

@Jen great questions.  Personally I've found the ipad app gets in the way when registering new leads, unless you are scheduling appointments with qualified prospects on the spot.

At the Marketo conference I saw a demo of Validar. They are a launchpoint partner. They scanned my badge and opened up their SFDC. I saw my own lead record from the tradeshow floor. Totally awesome.  If you have the budget, I think there's potential there, but I haven't had the chance to explore it seriously yet.

@Delinda: Thanks for the recommendation....will definitely reach out to them for a demo.