You don’t need a booth. You need meetings. Here’s how to get them:
1. Just ask them and watch the meetings roll in!
🤣🤣🤣
Now that we got that out of the way, here’s what actually works. Grouped loosely by theme, starting with the highest-impact tactics:
(P.S. Sales friends, we love you. But also… please book the meetings.)
🥇 Set Them Up for Success
1. Make it super prescriptive.
Don’t just say “go book meetings.” Say: “You are sending this outreach copy to this list of contacts today and tomorrow.” Be that specific.
2. Provide air cover.
Give them email templates, a target account list, and a calendar with suggested time slots. Remove friction wherever possible.
3. Make it easy.
Don’t send a 3-slide deck or a 1,000-word doc on how to book meetings. If a prospect says “yes,” Marketing should take it from there—calendar invites, confirmations, follow-ups, the works.
4. Encourage multi-channel outreach.
Email alone isn’t enough. Remind reps to use LinkedIn, calls, text messages, WhatsApp—whatever their prospects respond to.
5. Time it right.
Start too early and no one commits. Start too late and calendars are full. Hit the sweet spot a couple of weeks out—and don’t forget to coordinate with other sales asks (like that dinner invite going out next week).
6. Communicate up.
Loop in the exec team early—set expectations on timing, goals, and process. That way, you avoid the “where are our meetings?!” emails a month out. Keep them in the loop with regular updates on progress, blockers, and what’s being done to course-correct.
🏆 Motivate Like You Mean It
7. Spiff it.
Salespeople are competitive and coin-operated (no offense—some of my best friends, etc.). Incentivize meeting bookings with something they actually want. We like a non-monetary reward—say, dinner at a Michelin-star restaurant. Yes, it might go against your philosophical instincts (“why should we spiff something that’s part of their job?”). Yes, it works.
8. Public praise (or shame).
Post a leaderboard showing who’s booking the most meetings—and who’s… not. Start weekly, then increase frequency as the event nears. Competition is where it’s at.
9. Set explicit goals.
Salespeople are goal-driven. Give them a clear, measurable target—e.g., 5 meetings per rep—and track/report on progress weekly. (Check this post for a free spreadsheet to calculate conference meeting goals and ensure positive ROI.)
10. Lead by example.
You’re a marketer, sure—but that doesn’t mean you can’t send a few outreach emails yourself. It shows the sales team you’re in the trenches with them and helps drive results.
🤝 Partner With Them (Not Just “Ask” Them)
11. Develop real relationships.
If you’re asking sales to go the extra mile, it helps if you’ve already built a solid rapport—through regular check-ins, helping them close deals, and generally not being annoying.
12. Hold weekly calls.
People respond better to real-time conversations than Slack or email. Schedule weekly syncs starting at least a month before the event.
13. Pair sales and marketing.
For high-value accounts, assign a marketer to help the AE with messaging, outreach, and scheduling. Two brains, two inboxes, better results.
14. Use execs for outreach.
A note from the CEO or VP can go much further than a cold sales email. Give your leadership team a short list of high-priority contacts and have them send personalized invites.
🧹 Set Realistic Expectations
15. Set your expectations low.
Assume sales will book some meetings, but marketing will need to drive many of them. Worst case, you’re right. Best case, you’re pleasantly surprised.
16. Avoid the trap.
If your sales team isn’t excited about doing all the work—booking, prepping, following up—then don’t rely on conferences to drive your pipeline.
17. Find better reps.
J/k. Seriously though, if some reps just won’t do the work, assign the accounts to ones who will.
