Post-show reconciliation explained

What is Post-Show Reconciliation?

If you’re a trade show coordinator or marketer responsible for your company’s success at trade shows, then you should be aware of post-show reconciliation. In this article we’ll discuss what post-show reconciliation is, how it works, and why companies should use it if given the option. 

Understanding Post-Show Reconciliation

Post-show reconciliation is the process of appending contact information to an ID or limited contact information collected at an event after the event is over. Post-show reconciliation is also referred to as post-show data merge. RainFocus is a company that commonly provides post-show reconciliation. At Captello, we’ve seen RainFocus as the registration provider for events run by Microsoft and other common technology conferences such as VMworld. When exhibitors want to use their own software or third party software for lead capture they’ll need to conform to the post-show reconciliation process. 

Providers such as RainFocus use post-show reconciliation as an alternative approach to creating a developer’s kit. Developer kits allow external software applications to access registration data programmatically in real-time via an application programmers interface, or API. Using post-show reconciliation is not as ideal as having API access. API access retrieves data in real-time whereas post-show reconciliation does not. Post-show reconciliation collects limited data from a badge and requires exporting and importing data. In general, the post-show process takes more time to get your hands on your leads; however, turnaround time is typically on par with using the default lead retrieval app provided by the event. 

How Post-Show Reconciliation Works

Post-show reconciliation starts with a badge scan using a mobile application. Taking RainFocus as the example, their badge contains a string of text such as 155148186443500172ft^Brian^Trainor^Syntax^. The software application reads this string, parses the data, displays select data (such as name and company) in the mobile form, and sends the information to an external location for storage. The “post-show” part comes into play once the event is over. Event coordinators and/or administrators access this stored information in an admin panel and export it into a spreadsheet.  At Captello, we cleanly separate all of the information into four columns (ID, First Name, Last Name, and Company Name). 

The spreadsheet is provided to the post-show reconciliation vendor, such as RainFocus. Usually within a day or two the vendor sends a spreadsheet back. The updated spreadsheet includes the original columns of data appended by contact information such as email, phone numbers, and more. The updated spreadsheet is imported back into the admin panel which triggers an official submission. Captello’s customers use this process to kickoff workflow. Workflows vary based on a business’ needs. Examples of subsequent workflows include lead qualification, lead distribution, alerts, data integrity, and a push of data to other CRMs or marketing automation platforms. 

Why Companies Should Use Post-Show Reconciliation

Using post-show reconciliation is typically the best option compared to alternative methods of lead retrieval. As noted in the prior section, if post-show reconciliation is available, then that means API access is not. The alternative options are manual lead capture using pen and paper or the show provided lead capture app. 

Using post-show reconciliation is better than having nothing and better than using the show provided lead retrieval app. Lead retrieval apps offered at events are usually limited in functionality, restrict exhibitor and attendee experience, don’t integrate with backends systems, and create a disjointed, inconsistent user experience for companies attending multiple events. Having a universal lead capture platform creates consistency across sales and marketing teams, both in terms of user experience and post-show workflow. 

We invite you to learn more about Captello’s universal lead capture solution that supports post-show reconciliation. We recently updated our post-show reconciliation features to include more functionality and control for exhibitors. We’ve love to demonstrate our deep integration with RainFocus and other post-show reconciliation providers to you!