For many exhibitors, the last day of a trade show is little more than a dying ember. Given that the bulk of the event's energy and traffic has been spent, staffers get lackadaisical, exhibit effectiveness wanes, and many exhibitors merely kill time as they wait for the show's last bit of life to expire.

But shrewd exhibitors understand how to squeeze every last ounce of effectiveness out of the show's last day. Along with tactics to attract remaining traffic, they turn to secondary ways to maximize their time, budget, and effectiveness.

EXHIBITOR spoke with a host of industry experts who have a glass-half-full approach to the show's last day. Here are some of their best tips and tactics that can help fan that fading last-day ember into a roaring fire of productivity.

Capture the Remaining Crowd

If show-floor traffic fades, it's time to rev up (instead of wind down) your traffic-building techniques. Your booth needs to be the place to be on the show floor, and/or it should provide special perks for high-profile prospects. Sources offer several ways to accelerate your traffic builders on the final day.

Chris Dunn, vice president of sales and business development at Bluehive Inc. (dba BlueHive Exhibits), says a prominent final-day giveaway can lure a crowd to your space. “Plan your big giveaway event or a valuable secondary prize for the last day of the show, and require attendance to win,” Dunn says. “If you publicize the experience correctly and offer a prize attendees value, you'll likely attract a large portion of the remaining crowd.” Granted, you still need to capitalize on this experience and ensure visitors take in your messages, participate in demos, talk with staffers, and the like. But a last-day, in-booth giveaway can help ensure your stand makes attendees' must-see lists.

Mel White, vice president of marketing and business development at Classic Exhibits Inc., expands on this traffic-building technique. He recommends tactics including everything from cocktails to massages to mini petting zoos (depending on your audience). He's also a fan of meet and greets between top prospects and your company's executives. However, White also recommends another clever olfactory and gustatory delight: bacon.

“Consider offering a bacon-centric breakfast or brunch in your booth on the last day,” White says. “The smell alone will pull people in from aisles away. Pair the bacon with some coffee and pastries, and your booth will be the talk of the show.” If you want to satiate top prospects and make everyone around you (including competitors) salivate, craft a bacon-centric, invite-only experience for the leads you gathered during the show.

To ensure attendees are aware of your last-day offerings, Dunn urges you to consider pay-per-click geotargeted ads. “They can help you zero in on attendees still cruising the aisles, raise awareness for the brand, and drive traffic to your space.”

Schmooze Top Prospects

Particularly at large shows, staff and attendees are often pressed for time during show hours. As such, conversations, demos, and executive-led discussions are often cut short. Thus, the last day offers an opportunity not only to meet with top prospects for less time-pressed conversations but also to revisit any previous conversations or experiences and extend their quantity and quality.

White proposes scheduling last-day meetings with your best clients or prospects. When participants aren't rushed, conversations can be both lengthier and more effective. Plus, if a prospect is considering competing options on the show floor, salespeople can counteract competitors' arguments and have the last word, so to speak, before prospects head home and finalize a purchase.

The show's final day is also a prime opportunity to offer deep dives into product demos or even hands-on product training. White says you could consider changing the booth layout and programming so that visitors can experience an extensive product demo or even disassemble your wares and explore their parts and pieces. With potentially fewer visitors, your booth should have the space and your staff should have the time to offer these rigorous and intricate product explorations.

Foster Industry Connections

When booth traffic is at its peak, exhibit managers must remain laser focused on attendees' needs. However, when traffic wanes, they can foster connections with those outside of the booth.

Experts suggest using this time to talk to reps from show management and/or key service providers to iron out concerns and grease the wheels for the show's next iteration. This is also a good time to foster relationships with any partner companies at the show. And a quick last-day conversation with media reps can help you better understand the angles they're working for the show and how you can effectively pitch them stories in the future.

Jamie Talboom, CTSM, manager of trade shows and marketing at ATI Materials, recommends using this time to gather insights and form bonds with other exhibitors. “Regardless of your status as competitors, exhibit managers can still be friends on the show floor,” Talboom says. “You're not going to reveal company secrets or recently closed deals over coffee and doughnuts at the convention center café. But if something goes awry — maybe you forgot your power strip or you just need to vent — that friend four aisles over could be a life-saver.”

Making connections with other exhibitors is a priority for Jeanette Sanders, vice president of marketing and strategy at 2020 Exhibits Inc. Sanders always makes a point to foster connections with other exhibitors. “We all want industry shows to be successful, and supporting each other can help build camaraderie and foster success for exhibitors, the show, and the industry as a whole.”

Gather Competitive Intelligence

The show floor is the ideal locale to gather competitive intel, assess the direction of the industry, and discover new exhibiting tactics. Jamie Talboom, CTSM, leans in to this tactic at every show.

“No matter how many times I walk the show floor, the last day affords me the time and brain space to spot things I didn't see. Plus, there are fewer people blocking my view, and staffers have more time and inclination to speak with me.”

When it comes to gathering competitive insights and exploring new exhibiting tactics, Heidi Clear, owner and chief marketing officer of CenterPoint Marketing Inc., advises exhibitors to lean on their exhibit houses. “Walk the floor with your account manager on the last day to evaluate competitive exhibits,” she says. “We often offer this service to clients, providing insights on what their competitors spend and even installation and weight-based pros and cons.”

These last-day reconnaissance missions are also a good time to provide context to your own management team. By walking the show floor with them on the final day, you can point out competitors' innovations and options you'd like to see in your own program. Plus, you can educate them about costs associated with these tactics. Doing so can provide post-show ammunition for budget increases — or at least not financial cuts — for your program.

Assess Performance and Gather Attendee Insights

In addition to assessing what competitors are doing, set a time to pick staffers' brains about what worked and what didn't. What did they see on the show floor that was more effective than your tactics? What should you change?

Also probe staff for insights they discovered about the city. What's the most unique restaurant or venue they visited? Is there a shortcut between the convention center and the hotel?

As you assess effectiveness, query clients and prospects. Mel White recommends assembling a feedback council comprising top customers and asking them about their impressions of the show and competitors' offerings as well as your messaging. “Consider treating them to lunch,” White says. “This minimal investment can reap huge returns.”

Prepare for Follow-up — and the Future

During the last day, Jeanette Sanders requires staff to review all of their leads in the system and add comments or notes while the information is still fresh in their memories.

Kodi Morton, CTSM, senior marketing and events specialist with Bruker Scientific LLC, also recommends crafting handwritten notes to top prospects. “On the last day of a larger show I sometimes sit down with individual staffers and help them craft thank-you notes,” she says. “Doing so helps foster relationships and close sales.”

Along with lead-related end-of-show tasks, myriad housekeeping details can be started prior to the close of the show. To prepare for moveout, sources recommend auditing show invoices, confirming outbound shipments, and preparing invoices and labels. They also suggest reviewing supplies and noting what needs to be replenished or replaced before the next event.

In addition,Morton recommends an exhibit walk-through to assess any elements that need to be cleaned or repaired as well as to discuss any changes you'd like to make for next time. “I often assess the stand with staffers to secure feedback on everything from graphics and table heights to giveaways and literature,” she says. “Then I make a list of must-have and nice-to-have elements for future exhibits.”

The often-limited traffic on the show's final day offers an opportunity to secure booth photography that can document the experience and/or promote the brand. “In addition to getting videos and shots of the booth as a whole, we try to capture close-up photos of people interacting with products or moments of discovery as visitors view demos or talk with staff,” says Dana Esposito, BlueHive Exhibit's executive vice president of strategy.

Social Sendoff

To engage an at-home audience and extend your exhibit's reach beyond the show, Cameron Spinks, senior marketing specialist at The Trade Group Inc., suggests a last-day social-media strategy.

On the final day, she and her team go live on Facebook and Instagram from their booth. The goal is to summarize show highlights, share key learnings, and express gratitude to visitors and at-home followers. In addition, staff share industry insights they gleaned from discussions, as well as trends in tech development, customer feedback on the firm's product launches, and sneak peeks into upcoming product and service launches.

Spinks asserts that the approach has breathed new life into the show's final hours and helped solidify The Trade Group's reputation as a forward-thinking firm. For Spinks, the last day isn't just about closing up shop. It's also an opportunity to recap and ensure the momentum built over several days doesn't fade as the booths come down. E