From HR Tech Conference to Year-Round Content: How Event Relationships Create More Than Booth Traffic
PR
A conference can be much more than a booth, a stack of badge scans, and a few days away from the office.
The strongest event programs give people a reason to notice a brand, talk about it, and remember it afterward. They create useful conversations on the show floor—and stories, content, and follow-up opportunities that keep working after the conference ends.
I’ve helped HR tech companies plan that kind of event work for years. With ERIN, we’ve built conference moments around the brand’s red shoes, customer stories, analyst and influencer relationships, and activities that invite attendees to take part.
One example: a hidden-wallet scavenger hunt at NAHCR in Palm Springs.
Give people a reason to talk about your booth
Before the conference, we told attendees that ERIN was coming and hinted that we had something fun planned. The ERIN Red Shoe Crew announcement helped build anticipation.
At the event, we hid wallets around the resort. They contained fake business cards and information, and one included money. Attendees could visit the ERIN booth for hints about where to search. We handed out clues in red and gold envelopes, and people started looking across the conference and resort.
The scavenger hunt gave attendees a reason to come by the booth, talk with the team, and bring other people into the experience. As I remember it, the idea spread quickly across the conference: people were asking about the hunt, swapping clues, and looking for the wallets.
Afterward, the team could follow up with people who had taken part, respond to the stories and photos they shared, and continue conversations with prospects. The event didn’t end when the wallets were found.
A post from the NAHCR highlight reel captures the winners’ celebration at the ERIN booth. That’s one of the receipts: a public moment that shows the energy and gives the brand something to share afterward.
Put customer proof in the room
A memorable activation can earn attention. A customer story can help turn that attention into a serious business conversation.
At an HR tech conference, ERIN customer ResultsCX shared how its referral program generated more than 400,000 referrals in 24 months. ERIN’s recap of Patti Tabris’s story and ResultsCX’s post about the conference session document the results.
I remember two attendees approaching Patti right after she spoke to ask questions about the program. In my account, those conversations later led to new ERIN customers. That’s the value of pairing a product story with a customer who can explain what the work looks like in practice.
Make introductions count
Event relationships can also help the right people find a company’s booth.
At a SHRM Annual Conference, Tim Sackett mentioned Fountain during a session. Fountain’s Dana Lauren later posted that traffic at the booth increased after the shout-out. (Her post and Fountain’s SHRM recap offer public context.)
I’ve seen similar moments happen through direct introductions. At another industry event, after I introduced people to Fountain, Tim Sackett and Steve Browne each mentioned the company in different settings. I remember major brands then coming over to the booth. Those are the kinds of moments that are difficult to plan down to the minute, but relationships and preparation make them more possible.
Measure the “receipts,” not just the badge scans
Badge scans can be useful. They’re one part of the event picture, but they don’t tell the whole story.
When I review an event with a client, I also look at the conversations and materials the team can carry forward:
Meetings booked and demos scheduled
Relevant people who came to the booth, party, or session
Customer conversations and introductions made
Photos, video clips, interviews, and podcast recordings
Social posts and other coverage that keep the event visible
Follow-up conversations that continue after attendees go home
New ideas for research, content, or future collaboration
I call those the receipts. They help show what the company created and what it can use next.
That might mean inviting podcasters to record from a booth, hosting a dinner or reception, filming customer interviews, or creating an event sizzle video. It could also mean gathering enough photos and short clips to share useful moments over the next several weeks, instead of posting once and moving on.
Plan the event as a three-part story
The work begins before the show opens.
Before the event: Decide what you want the audience to remember. Build a clear reason to visit, meet, or participate. Tease the activation, invite the right people, and prepare customers or spokespeople to share their stories.
During the event: Make it easy to join in. Give people a reason to talk with the team, capture content with permission, and make introductions that are useful to both sides. Keep the experience connected to the company’s product and customer story.
After the event: Follow up while conversations are fresh. Share the content, respond to attendee posts, book the next meetings, and turn the best moments into material the team can use beyond the conference.
Not every activity will produce a customer or a headline. The goal is to create a better chance for relevant people to notice, understand, and remember the company—and to capture enough proof to continue the conversation afterward.
A strong conference program doesn’t stop at the booth. It creates moments people want to talk about, gives the company stories worth telling, and leaves the team with useful reasons to reconnect long after the show floor closes.
How can an HR tech company get more value from a conference? Plan before the event how you’ll create useful conversations, capture customer proof, share content, and follow up afterward. The goal is to give relevant people more than one reason to engage. Book a call to plan your next event program.