The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) seems like a headache, but is there any way I can use this directive to my advantage as an exhibit marketer?

Europe's newest digital-privacy legislation protects the personal information of citizens of the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA) (which includes Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway). The GDPR terms standardize and govern how organizations gather and maintain personal data, and they penalize noncompliance with fines of up to roughly $22 million.

When it comes to trade show exhibitors, the GDPR applies to all events held in EU and EEA countries and data gathered from EU and EEA citizens at shows held outside of Europe. (This is a bit of a gray area, and variables such as the amount of business your company does with governed citizens and the type of website marketing it uses to target this audience determine your company's degree of responsibility.)

So while the legislation likely affects other aspects of your organization, such as how it handles data breaches, it impacts how you market to attendees and gather their lead information. In particular, the GDPR states that exhibitors must both inform attendees of how the gathered information will be used and secure consent to obtain this data. Given the far-reaching impacts of this decree, the documentation necessary to prove compliance, and the ramifications of noncompliance, the GDPR can seem like a migraine the size of Texas.

In addition, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which went into effect Jan. 1, 2020, is considered by some to be the U.S. equivalent of the GDPR. This regulation only applies to companies doing business in California, but it's something that should have your attention.

However, despite the additional items now on many exhibit marketers' to-do lists, there's also a glass-half-full view on the GDPR statute. You can use this mandate as ammunition to revamp your lead-management and -gathering practices and, in effect, to implement or standardize a customer-relationships management (CRM) system. Here are three key exhibit-marketing issues that can benefit from the GDPR's stipulations.

Shoddy Collection Methods
Since the GDPR insists that any orga-nization collecting the data of EU and EEA citizens must obtain citizens' con-sents and relay the manner in which the data will be utilized, companies must be able to prove that they've accomplished these two key tasks. As such, any outdated collection and documentation tools should be made obsolete. For example, given the ongoing documentation required by the GDPR, paper lead forms should be a thing of the past, as you'd essen-tially need to maintain this paper trail throughout the life of the lead.

What's more, ineffective "Can I scan your badge?" lead collection, which typically lacks any kind of qual-ifying, is also likely verboten. Such methodology provides no opportunity for exhibitors to explain just how lead data will be used and no formal way to prove attendees consented to the collection of their data.

In effect, marketers whose sales teams have been reluctant to adopt electronic lead-qualifying equip-ment – or have taken to merely zapping badges instead of qualifying attendees – can now use the GDPR requirements to their advantage. They can insist that salespeople employ electronic equipment and consent- and lead-gathering tools when interacting with attendees, as failure to do so puts the company at risk of violating the legislation and being severely fined.

Since the GDPR threatens to hold companies with shoddy data-collection practices accountable, any antiquated practices can no longer be tolerated. Savvy exhibit managers, then, can steer manage-ment toward more effective electronic lead-collection systems, which in turn can make qualifying and follow-up much more successful.

CRM Suspicions and Inconsistencies
Along these same lines, in order to track compliance and consent, a CRM system is almost a requirement, as it allows you to document all lead-gathering interactions, and in fact, some CRMs can copy your consent forms and add them to each person's CRM record. If this form includes the context for the consent (i.e., lead collection at a trade show), when it was given, and what it covers, it can be used to prove compliance with the GDPR. Bottom line: If your company hasn't yet implemented a CRM system, the GDPR may forcibly eliminate the hurdles barring its adoption.

Similarly, the GDPR is an excellent excuse to spring clean and connect your data into a single view. Such a detox includes both contact data on internal systems as well as any info from salespeople's mobile devices. As such, you can require sales reps to transfer data from smartphones and the like into a centralized CRM pro-gram. For marketing and sales, this can allow for better lead qualification and nurturing, which in turn can help link trade show leads to sales and further legitimize marketing's efforts.

Data-Integration Issues
With more than 7,000 marketing software and technology solutions on the market today, companywide integra-tion is a growing problem. That is, when companies implement niche software, it often creates silos of information, such as those crafted via inquiry-response bots, call-center and inside-sales systems, marketing auto-mations, CRMs, etc. Simply put, data does not flow seamlessly between systems, resulting in mass duplication and no consistency between records.

What's more, while integration software is easy to install, firms often lack the skilled technologists needed to do so. In fact, it is rare to find one person within any major company that is focused on integration, can create a single view of customers, and can provide intelligent dashboards that show end-to-end performance. This situation often becomes an information-technology nightmare that divides sales and marketing efforts. Embracing the GDPR offers a prime opportunity for marketers to rethink and refresh their data strategies and to push for increased integration and a single customer view across all channels.

While the GDPR has its challenges and will certainly require changes within any organization regularly marketing to EU and EEA citizens, exhibit marketers need not perceive it as a dark cloud over their efforts. Rather, they can use it as a strong rationale to institute more effective lead-gathering and -management practices companywide.