#eventgoer: The Collector

You will see me at events like exhibitions, expos, and open conferences. Sitting at home is boring. I’ll have a walk, take a look, maybe I’ll learn something interesting. And often I’m able to get some ‘value’ from such meetings.

I pay particular attention to catering. Sandwiches, candy… why should it go to waste, right?

I expect plastic bags, candy, sandwiches, gadgets and I expect it all to be free. Lectures are, you know, an extra. I’ll listen out of politeness but usually they speak gibberish and God knows what they want.

I’m annoyed by surveys. They often first tell you to fill the survey and only then give you gifts. Why would they need that? And before you know, your mailbox is flooding with ads.

What I like most is fudge. And these thin pancakes with cheese and salmon for salty treats. But they rarely have that, you know. They usually have crackers, I can show you, they have just served them by that stand. You won’t fill your stomach with them but they’re pretty tasty.

Thank you for your time and insight, Joseph. These crackers really are tasty. Joseph is a person that doesn’t bring much to your event. In fact, he 'takes away' much more. It’s not very elegant of him but we have few options to limit such behavior. One option was suggested by Joseph himself: gate the reward with a survey. On the other hand, you will make a better impression on genuinely interested people when you give away gifts and treats for free and ask them to fill in the survey afterwards. The survey is optional here, of course, but the information it gathers can be very useful. In the case of conferences, another option is paid entry or entry only for registered attendees. This creates a higher barrier to entry and therefore can discourage people genuinely interested in your offer. As far as expos and trade fairs go, I think we all know that - gadgets are to be placed on the stand and entered as costs.