The explosion of tech conferences in recent years is notable. The ability to network, show off new products, and meet potential customers has become so crucial, that B2B companies are now allocating up to 21% of their marketing budgets for conferences. If you’re on the hosting-side of a conference and want to understand how to improve the experience for attendees, attract new exhibitors, and streamline how the show is run, make sure you incorporate market research into your hosting plan. In particular, intercept interviews at conferences are the most effective way to understand — from attendees in-the-moment — how to improve a conference you host or co-sponsor.
What do intercept interviews at conferences entail?
Intercept interviews are when professional moderators interview attendees “intercept-style” as attendees are mingling and socializing between sessions at a conference. An interviewer will typically ask attendees a few questions about their experience, while it’s fresh in people’s minds. Intercept interviews are brief: typically 2-5 minutes, and the in-the-moment feedback allows the moderator to understand the highs, lows, and wish lists from attendees. This is a far superior method to surveys, which are the standard way that event organizers collect details, post-event.
What’s wrong with post-event surveys?
Nothing is “wrong” with post-event surveys, per se, but if they’re the only method that event organizers are receiving event feedback, they’re an incomplete market research method. Why? Because following the event (typically they’re emailed after people have returned home), the exact experiences are not fresh in people’s minds; they may have blurred together sentiments, without recalling specifics of what they liked/disliked about the conference. Moreover, in a close-ended survey format, respondents are limited by the depth of their feedback, giving organizers only one piece of the feedback story.
What’s the benefit of intercept interviews at conferences?
InterQ has partnered with some of the leading conference organizers in the country, as well as large tech companies who host conferences. From our intercept interview market research work, we’ve given the conference hosts specific ways to improve how their conferences are organized. The feedback we’ve provided ranges from the types of speakers they feature, to event logistics, to topics. By using the intercept interview research, the conference hosts have been able to increase conference attendance for upcoming events, as well as create more customized, enjoyable experiences for their attendees.
While your team is organizing your event’s logistics, ensure market research is part of the plan
Putting on a conference takes a ton of work, so it may seem daunting to have to also include market research. However, just a quick call to InterQ Research is all it takes: Our talented team will handle all of the details, ensuring that your team has the feedback it needs to improve and expand future events.
