Frost & Sullivan Customer Contact East Events Research Charts

Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange Customer Research

Sponsors of Customer Contact East were asked… “What are the problems that plague today’s “traditional” trade show and/or conference?”

Lack of true decision makers in attendance	77%
Networking is limited & activities are dull, resulting in lack of touch points with participants	54%
Transient audience drives few relationships	51%
More a PR opportunity vs demand generation vehicle	46%
Content and presentations are inconsistent and a one-way push from the podium	37%
Lack of ROI	26%
Poor communication & customer service by organizers	23%
Too much competition	20%

Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange Customer Research

Participants of Customer Contact East were asked… “What are the problems that plague today’s “traditional” trade show and/or conference?”

Aggressive sales tactics by sponsoring & exhibiting companies	57%
Presentations produce too few action items and takeaways - too theoretical	51%
Content is a one-way push from the podium with little interaction or Q&A	36%
Bait & Switch: Content does not stay on point and speakers are not qualified to present on topic	32%
Networking is limited & activities are dull and relationships are difficult to develop due to transient audience	28%
Audience is too junior	21%
Lack of community amongst event participants	21%
Poor communication & customer service by organizers	6%

Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange Customer Research

If you could go to only one external event a year, would you choose to attend the Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange?

Yes: 93%

No: 7%

Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange Customer Research

Trade Shows Are NOT Generating Returns

What are the problems that plague today’s “traditional” trade show and/or conference?

Transient audience drives few relationships	61%
Content and presentations are inconsistent and a one-way push from the podium	42%
Networking is limited & activities are dull, resulting in lack of touch points with participants	58%
Poor communication & customer service by organizers	22%
Lack of true decision makers in attendance	68%
More a PR opportunity vs demand generation vehicle	41%
Too much competition	28%
Lack of ROI	45%

Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange Customer Research

A One-Of-A-Kind Experience & Return

The unique interactive structure of a Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange leads to:

Increased networking & relationship building	74%
Access to best practices	71%
A forum which allows me to get real solutions for my business challenges	64%
More value overall	43%
Other	2%

Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange Customer Research

A One-Of-A-Kind Sponsorship Investment

What makes the Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange so unique and valuable in comparison to other events your company sponsors?

Positioning of vendors as peers	64%
The ratio of decision makers in attendance	52%
An environment that fosters relationship building	94%
Nonstop networking	70%
Access & Time to Meet with True Decision Makers	67%

Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange Customer Research

Trade Shows Are Yesterday

What are the problems that plague today’s “traditional” trade show and/or conference?

Bait & Switch: Content does not stay on point and speakers are not qualified to present on topic	27%
Content is a one-way push from the podium with little interaction or Q&A	38%
Presentations produce too few action items and takeaways - too theoretical	51%
Networking is limited & activities are dull and relationships are difficult to develop due to transient audience	35%
Aggressive sales tactics by sponsoring & exhibiting companies	64%
Lack of community amongst event participants	22%
Poor communication & customer service by organizers	4%
Audience is too junior	15%

Timely and Relevant Content!

How would you rate the value of the content you received at the Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange?

Very timely and relevant: 33%

Timely and relevant: 62%

Not timely and relevant: 5%

Build long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships!

How many real business and personal relationships were you able to generate at the Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange?

20: 0%

15: 6%

10: 19%

5: 62%

0: 6%

Other: 8%

It’s only relevant if it’s important to you!

When deciding on an event, what are the three most important factors in your decision?

The speakers	56%
The content	94%
The location	28%
The audience	26%
The organizer	8%
The vendors/sponsors	14%
The reputation of the event	56%
The fun factor (networking activities)	14%

What’s important to you?

When deciding on an event, do you agree it’s best to focus on excelling in the top 3 areas? Content, Reputation, Speakers!

The speakers	55%
The content	97%
The location	32%
The property	0%
The audience	24%
The organizer	5%
The vendors/sponsors	8%
The reputation of the event	58%
The fun factor (networking activities)	13%

Over 90% of Executives say sending a team to Customer Contact is the right decision!

Based on the multiple interactive tracks at the Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange, I would recommend companies send ____ team member(s).

5: 0%

4: 7%

3: 30%

2: 57%

1: 7%

What do over 90% of the Executives who attend a Frost & Sullivan MindXchange think?

92% of all executives surveyed would recommend a colleague to attend.

Very strongly recommend: 27%

Strongly recommend: 30%

Recommend: 35%

Do not recommend: 8%

Interaction Drives Best Practices & Superior Networking

The unique interactive structure of a Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange leads to:

Access to best practices	72%
Increased networking & relationship building	83%
A forum which allows me to get real solutions to my business challenges	44%
More value overall	45%

Interaction Drives Best Practices & Superior Networking

The unique interactive structure of a Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange leads to:

Access to best practices	72%
Increased networking & relationship building	83%
A forum which allows me to get real solutions to my business challenges	44%
More value overall	45%

Networking! Networking! Networking! See the value at Frost & Sullivan’s MindXchanges!

How would you rate the networking at the Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange?

The best I've seen: 15%

Excellent: 33%

Great: 24%

Good: 18%

Equal or on par other events: 6%

Worse than other events: 3%

Why the Trade Show Approach Doesn’t Work

Why does the typical trade show approach not work with Executives?

Bait & Switch: Content does not stay on point and speakers are not qualified to present on topic	31%
Content is a one-way push from the podium with little interaction or Q&A	25%
Presentations produce too few action items and takeaways - too theoretical	64%
Networking is limited & activities are dull and relationships are difficult to develop due to transient audience	27%
Aggressive sales tactics by sponsoring & exhibiting companies	52%
Lack of community amongst event participants	27%
Poor communication & customer service by organizers	16%
Audience is too junior	27%

The Executive MindXchange: One of A Kind

What makes a Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange so unique and valuable?

5 - most 4 3 2 1- least

Positioning of vendors as peer
Ratio of decision makers
Fosters relationship building
Nonstop networking

Why the Executive MindXchange was Created: Our Participants Point Of View

What’s are the problems that plague today’s “traditional” trade show and/or conference?

Bait & Switch: Content does not stay on point and speakers are not qualified to present on topic	31%
Content is a one-way push from the podium with little interaction or Q&A	25%
Presentations produce too few action items and takeaways - too theoretical	64%
Networking is limited & activities are dull and relationships are difficult to develop due to transient audience	27%
Aggressive sales tactics by sponsoring & exhibiting companies	52%
Lack of community amongst event participants	27%
Poor communication & customer service by organizers	16%
Audience is too junior	27%

Why Sponsorship is So Valuable

What are the reasons why sponsorship of live events is so valuable?

Face-to-face interaction with prospects & customers	90%
Hearing firsthand challenges from customers and prospects	76%
Benchmarking my competitors	34%
Keeping up to date with the latest trends and technology	48%

What Generates the Greatest Marketing ROI?

Traditionally which of the following marketing tactics generates your greatest returns?

Webinars	48%
White papers	22%
Event sponsorship	56%
Email marketing	33%
Social media	11%

Trade Shows Are Yesterday

What are the problems that plague today’s “traditional” trade show and/or conference?

Transient audience drives few relationships	55%
Content and presentations are inconsistent and a one-way push from the podium	41%
Networking is limited & activities are dull, resulting in lack of touch points with participants	45%
Poor communication & customer service by organizers	10%
Lack of true decision makers in attendance	79%
More a PR opportunity vs demand generation vehicle	21%
Too much competition	48%
Lack of ROI	28%
Other	14%

Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange

If you could go to only one external event a year, would you choose to attend the Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange?

Yes: 69%

No: 31%

Don’t Miss Out: 92% of Attendees Would Recommend This Event

Would you recommend this event to your peers?

Very strongly recommend: 27%

Strongly recommend: 29%

Recommend: 36%

Do not recommend: 8%

The Event to Attend In The Industry and Network With The Best In Class

How many real business and personal relationships were you able to generate at the Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange?

Over 20: 5%

10-20: 25%

5-10: 42%

Under 5: 27%

Traditional trade shows problems

What are the problems that plague today’s “traditional” trade show and/or conference?

Bait & Switch: Content does not stay on point and speakers are not qualified to present on topic	34%
Content is a one-way push from the podium with little interaction or Q&A	25%
Presentations produce too few action items and takeaways - too theoretical	63%
Networking is limited & activities are dull and relationships are difficult to develop due to transient audience	25%
Aggressive sales tactics by sponsoring & exhibiting companies	50%
Lack of community amongst event participants	27%
Poor communication & customer service by organizers	16%
Audience is too junior	27%

Are You Doubtful of Today’s Conference Approach?

What are the problems that plague today’s “traditional” trade show and/or conference?

Bait & Switch: Content does not stay on point and speakers are not qualified to present on topic	34%
Content is a one-way push from the podium with little interaction or Q&A	25%
Presentations produce too few action items and takeaways - too theoretical	63%
Networking is limited & activities are dull and relationships are difficult to develop due to transient audience	25%
Aggressive sales tactics by sponsoring & exhibiting companies	50%
Lack of community amongst event participants	27%
Poor communication & customer service by organizers	16%
Audience is too junior	27%
Other	13%

Frost & Sullivan Event Interaction

What are the problems that plague today’s “traditional” trade show and/or conference?

Bait & Switch: Content does not stay on point and speakers are not qualified to present on topic	34%
Content is a one-way push from the podium with little interaction or Q&A	25%
Presentations produce too few action items and takeaways - too theoretical	63%
Networking is limited & activities are dull and relationships are difficult to develop due to transient audience	25%
Aggressive sales tactics by sponsoring & exhibiting companies	50%
Lack of community amongst event participants	27%
Poor communication & customer service by organizers	16%
Audience is too junior	27%
Other	13%

No More Trade Shows

What are the problems that plague today’s “traditional” trade show and/or conference?

Bait & Switch: Content does not stay on point and speakers are not qualified to present on topic	34%
Content is a one-way push from the podium with little interaction or Q&A	25%
Presentations produce too few action items and takeaways - too theoretical	63%
Networking is limited & activities are dull and relationships are difficult to develop due to transient audience	25%
Aggressive sales tactics by sponsoring & exhibiting companies	50%
Lack of community amongst event participants	27%
Poor communication & customer service by organizers	16%
Audience is too junior	27%
Other	13%

Traditional Trade Show Problems

What are the problems that plague today’s “traditional” trade show and/or conference?

Bait & Switch: Content does not stay on point and speakers are not qualified to present on topic	33%
Content is a one-way push from the podium with little interaction or Q&A	27%
Presentations produce too few action items and takeaways - too theoretical	62%
Networking is limited & activities are dull and relationships are difficult to develop due to transient audience	25%
Aggressive sales tactics by sponsoring & exhibiting companies	48%
Lack of community amongst event participants	29%
Poor communication & customer service by organizers	13%
Audience is too junior	23%
Other	13%

TechValidate Research on Frost & Sullivan Customer Contact East Events

34 Charts – Page 1 of 2

Trade Shows Are NOT Generating Returns

A One-Of-A-Kind Experience & Return

A One-Of-A-Kind Sponsorship Investment

Trade Shows Are Yesterday

Timely and Relevant Content!

Build long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships!

It’s only relevant if it’s important to you!

What’s important to you?

Over 90% of Executives say sending a team to Customer Contact is the right decision!

What do over 90% of the Executives who attend a Frost & Sullivan MindXchange think?

Interaction Drives Best Practices & Superior Networking

Interaction Drives Best Practices & Superior Networking

Networking! Networking! Networking! See the value at Frost & Sullivan’s MindXchanges!

Why the Trade Show Approach Doesn’t Work

The Executive MindXchange: One of A Kind

Why the Executive MindXchange was Created: Our Participants Point Of View

Why Sponsorship is So Valuable

What Generates the Greatest Marketing ROI?

Trade Shows Are Yesterday

Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange

Don’t Miss Out: 92% of Attendees Would Recommend This Event

The Event to Attend In The Industry and Network With The Best In Class

Traditional trade shows problems

Are You Doubtful of Today’s Conference Approach?

Frost & Sullivan Event Interaction

No More Trade Shows

Traditional Trade Show Problems