Why Companies Are Sending Smaller Teams to Bigger Events

 

Trade shows, industry conferences, leadership summits and global exhibitions have long served as key opportunities for businesses to build relationships, discover new trends and generate growth. Years later, companies were sending large delegations to these events, believing more people meant more networking, more visibility and better business opportunities.

That strategy is changing now. The trend among many organizations is no longer to send large teams but rather to send small select teams with clear objectives. It is more than a change to cut travel expenses. It’s a sign of a bigger shift in how businesses are thinking about corporate events, with an eye towards efficiency, measurable results and smarter use of resources.

BETTER IS BEST

Increasingly, companies are realizing that the success of an event is less about the number of attendees and more about the right people in the room.

Instead of sending whole departments, organizations are now targeting employees whose role is directly relevant to the purpose of the event. Sales execs meet with prospective clients, product experts show solutions, senior leaders forge strategic partnerships and the technology team gets involved in industry conversations.

In smaller teams everyone who comes has a specific role and a clear set of goals before the event begins. With this narrowed focus, there is more productivity and opportunities for meaningful business outcomes.

GOOD PLANNING. GOOD RESULTS.

Today, event participation begins well before the first keynote starts.

“Companies spend a lot of time planning who they want to meet with, who their target customers are, planning networking sessions and exhibitors or conference tracks. This planning process is easier to coordinate with a smaller team as there are clear definitions of responsibility.

Instead of having multiple employees in the same sessions or talking to each other, each team member will follow a defined agenda maximizing the value of the event.

What we get is more coverage and less duplication.

NO CONCESSION ON AFFORDABILITY –

Finance and procurement are still watching travel budgets closely. International conferences can be costly and the price of flights, hotel, transport, food, event registrations and entertainment can add up quickly.

Companies can send less employees to major industry events and save money. These savings can then be re-invested in higher value investments such as premium sponsorship opportunities, customer experiences, technology demos or follow-up marketing campaigns.

It's not that organizations are pulling back, but optimizing their investments in business events.

TECHNOLOGY BRINGS IN CROWDS.

One reason companies can send smaller teams is the growing availability of digital collaboration tools.

Employees attending the event can immediately share presentations, meeting notes, product announcements and market insights with colleagues back at the office. Remote teams stay connected during the event with instant messaging platforms, cloud-based collaboration tools, and video conferencing.

Those that travel do not make long discourse. You can share information in real time across departments and that means the whole organization can benefit from the experience.

This hybrid approach enables companies to keep a wide organizational involvement without everyone travelling.

MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT

Sometimes big delegations spend more time coordinating internally than engaging externally. Meetings in smaller groups can be more agile to meet with customers, visit with exhibitors, attend breakout sessions and network.

Everyone at the table has a reason for being there, making the conversation more focused and productive.

“Customers and partners want to work directly with decision makers, not have to go through multiple reps. Often going straight to the senior executive or subject matter expert can speed up conversations and improve business relationships.

MORE RESPONSIBILITY.

Smaller teams generally lead to greater accountability for event results.

Typically, participants are assigned specific goals to achieve prior to the event, including the number of customer meetings to have, partnerships to pursue, product demos to conduct or market intelligence to collect.

Companies want to see more structured reporting, knowledge sharing sessions and clear documentation of the opportunities identified during the event when they go back.

It’s this emphasis on real results that enables organizations to track the Event ROI of every conference or trade show they attend.

SUSTAINABILITY SUPPORT GOALS

“Companies are increasingly looking at sustainability as part of their travel decisions.

Fewer travelers means a lower carbon footprint from flights, hotel stays and ground transportation. In fact, many organizations have sustainability targets to encourage responsible travel and preserve business effectiveness.

A smaller delegation is consistent with our commitments to the environment, but does not limit participation in important industry events.

More companies are adopting responsible travel practices to cope with the growth of the business.

FUTURE OF ATTENDING EVENTS

Corporate events strategies are becoming more intentional. For businesses success is no longer measured by the size of their delegations, but the quality of relationships built, knowledge gained and opportunities generated.

Smaller teams enable tighter focus, better planning, more accountability and a more efficient use of resources. Digital collaboration allows organizations to extend the value of an event far beyond the employees who attend.

As business travel has changed, companies are proving that bigger results don’t require bigger teams. Organizations can spend their time and budget more wisely and make every conference, exhibition and industry event more impactful by sending the right people with the right objectives.