There’s a difference between playing Madden NFL in your living room and playing tackle football with your friends on a crisp fall day, right? Both require a similar knowledge and strategy set but playing outside demands physical skills that playing a video game doesn’t. In the marketing world, digital efforts are the video game to a trade show’s outdoor play.

Digital platforms absolutely have a place in today’s marketing mix—their hyper-targeted strategies can reach more people right at their fingertips. From search engines to emails, blogs, websites and social networks, these digital efforts allow brands to deliver, track and measure a customer’s response in real-time. It’s an attractive concept, and it’s why businesses are increasingly focusing on digital mediums to entice and retain their customers. Who can resist a shiny new video game?

But let’s step outside for a minute and into the world of trade shows. To play here, you need all the same brand and message strategies as your digital efforts—and then some. You need situational awareness, alignment between sales and marketing and relationship-building, face-to-face conversations. Human interaction is critical in this crowded, hard-to-measure, time-consuming world, and even if your feet hurt at the end of the day, you have to keep smiling to succeed.

This is a question we’re asked all the time: Are trade shows still relevant as a lead generation tool in the age of digital, inbound marketing?

Yes. Even with new, less expensive ways to connect with your customer, the trade show industry continues to post year-over-year incremental growth. That’s because it’s solving challenges that can’t be solved by other marketing channels. At one trade show, you can introduce new products, build brand awareness, spy on your competitors and cultivate relationships with current and prospective customers. Conversation is what generates new leads and why trade shows see more sales conversion than other marketing channels.

A recent study from Demand Gen Report shows that B2B marketers believe trade shows are one of the most effective channels for generating qualified leads.

Hubspot found that 68% of professionals value face-to-face interactions more than online conversations. That’s because buyers want brands and partners they believe can truly understand their needs and deliver solutions that will simplify their lives. That kind of trust only develops with in-person conversations.

It’s true that finding success at a trade show takes more work than scoring a touchdown from the comfort of your couch. It requires a different level of engagement than digital tactics. It takes organization, creativity, resilience and full team alignment, but in the end, it also gives your customers the face time they’re craving, builds brand awareness and cultivates relationships. If you can do that successfully, your efforts will be rewarded.

@Creativore is experienced in helping brands develop trade show strategies as part of an effective inbound marketing effort. Contact us to learn more. wrutkowski@creativore.com