Freeman, BDMetrics in Partnership

In the past, the responsibility to somehow quantify the ROI for exhibitors at a show rested squarely on the shoulders of the show manager. After all, if the exhibitors weren't happy ... the show would cease to exist.

Now, another player is stepping into the ROI arena in an effort to please exhibitors.

Freeman and BDMetrics inked a strategic partnership that will allow exhibitors to not only get the typical general contracting services they need, but also the opportunity to use BDMetrics' matchmaking and social networking technology to market their companies.

“We'll have what they need to exhibit and what they need to have a successful show,” said Rick Geritz, BDMetrics' CEO. “By combining the power of online with the face-to-face experience, we can now quantify, with hard data, that exhibiting at, and attending tradeshows, is the best use of a company's resource.”

Freeman's partnership with BDMetrics is in line with the overall strategy that included its acquisition last year of ProActive, a Chicago-based face-to-face marketing firm, according to Jeff Price, Freeman's executive vice president.

“Freeman is all about wanting to become more strategically aligned with its customers,” he added. “Like the recent acquisition of ProActive, we think the partnership with BDMetrics brings an additional level of value to our mutual clients.”

Geritz said an example of the way the technology would work is the prompt an exhibitor would receive nine weeks before a show that he or she must order audiovisual equipment. At the same time, a pop-up window would appear asking, “If you are launching a new product, would you like some help marketing it?”

The technology would indicate to exhibitors exactly how many people have looked at their online exhibitor profiles and how many plan to visit their booths, all of which, according to Geritz, helps quantify ROI. “If we can solve the ROI problem, it helps the entire industry,” he added.