From stand interaction to measurable follow-up
Turning real-world, fast-moving conversations into structured useable data:
- Campaign strategy
- Landing page planning and build
- Event user journey mapping
- QR code and referral journey planning
- HubSpot workflow planning
- Website and form testing
- Client and partner coordination
What They Wanted
What the client originally asked for (surface-level goals)
“We’re going to a national event and taking most of the team. How do we get the most out of it?”
The annual, national industry event for Parking Operators: Parkex, is something that IPS attend each year, as it’s important from a networking and prospecting angle to be involved - plus it’s something that the whole team look forward to as it gives them a chance to be out of the office together and all be involved in something at the same time.
In 2025, IPS asked us for support in their exhibition, so building on from what we’d learned previously, they wanted to turn up the dial on their 2026 appearance.
They really meant...
What did that actually translate to?
Wanting to act more like a “technology company” that operates in the Parking Technology space, rather than just a Parking Operator, IPS wanted to learn more about the true value of the cost involved with Parkex, as previously they just weren’t setup to measure this effectively. It had always been assumed that the company would exhibit each year as long as it was considered a “success” when you asked the directors. This is an absolutely valid approach to measuring success: purely anecdotally - but it’s just not comparable and IPS wanted to get a handle on some sort of empirical measurement so they could make changes in the future.
It’s costly to exhibit if you can’t calculate the value: plot fees, event and exhibition collateral and stands, multiple staff on-site with hotel stays and expenses, plus all the planning and time investment into providing and engaging experience for prospects and customers. Exhibition is annual effort that touches most of company on the run up to June each year, and IPS need to know the value on the bottom line of their attendance.
With our consultancy and support, IPS were preparing for Parkex with a much bigger mix of activity and engagement than a standard exhibition stand, and we had to make each of them measurable in some way and where possible contribute to a sales uplift or future pipeline.
IPS use HubSpot, so to get some sort of baseline visual performance, we agreed that we’d ultimately try to populate a report in HubSpot where the influence of the Parkex on a prospects and customers could be attributed and monitored. Therefore - where possible, we needed to find a way to measure the engagements what were happening on the stand and assign some level of attribution in HubSpot, so a real world value could at some point be resolved from the investment in the event.
What this actually looked like was fairly simple on the surface, but in reality was personalised and tailored to each staff member and engagement type, all with the purpose of getting the most value out of the time and money investment involved with the event.
So here's what we did.
What we agreed to do...
The solution/services we delivered
- Planning and consultancy
- Success reporting and attribution in HubSpot
- Engagement-specific and personalised staff user journey mapping
- Digital asset creation and supporting journeys
- On-site staff support
- Follow-up sales activity
So we got to work!
The approach and process
Where did we start and why?
We started by asking what each interaction at Parkex was meant to achieve - because a QR code is only useful if the journey after the scan is clear.
The answer?
We mapped the event from the visitor’s point of view, then built the digital structure behind it so every meaningful interaction had a next step.
We started by working with IPS to get an understanding of the event offering for this year, then defining each specific, potential engagement type and user journey, then building a measurable digital supporting workflow around each.
What does this actually look like?
For instance - we’ve all been to expos, and we’ve probably engaged with a stand there and had to fill in some sort of form (especially if you can’t just buy the product you’re interested in then and there). Typically, you’d have awkwardly scribbled down your details on poorly printed-out lead form in you worst cursive handwriting, which at some point later on have to be interpreted by a member of the team, and probably not the same person that you originally spoke with. To a business, the fact that you spent the time to fill in the form is incredibly valuable as it means that you’re far more likely to buy than the person that doesn’t fill in the form, so if they can’t read your email address or phone number the potential for you to feel a negative sentiment towards that company when they inevitably don’t do what they said they were going to do - get in touch with you after the event - is much higher.
So, for every potential engagement type: prospect product discussion, customer schmoozing or catch-up chat, event hook/gimmick opt-in etc. we removed all the potential barriers to make it as simple as possible to measure and record what actually happened, and assign an arbitrary attribution value that’s visible on a report in HubSpot.
Yeah - but what does this actually mean?
Ok - so if you take the example of a conversation that a staff member has with a prospect where they discuss a potential solution, and the prospect asks the staff member to contact them at a specific time in the future, this is exactly how we tackled it:
- Developed a unique landing page on the IPS website for the named staff member.
- On the landing page, we added a form with the minimum necessary fields to effectively record the conversation, and get the details necessary from the prospect. Name, email, phone number, business name and type etc. the a Conversation Notes box.
- We also added a QR code link to a digital version of the staff member’s business card (a vCard). When this is scanned, a new contact with a profile image is added to the prospects phone, so they have the necessary contact details for the staff member.
- We then provided the staff member with a unique QR code for their page, so they could quickly navigate to it on any device.
We then curated the customer journey:
- When a conversation happened and the user asks for a follow-up, the conversation notes are physically recorded using a voice-to-text diction in the Conversation Notes box, with the other necessary contact details which are easily input by the staff member, and confirmed by the user.
- When the form is submitted, an email summarising the conversation and agreed next steps is sent to both the user and the staff member from who’s unique page the form was on.
- This is then connected to HubSpot, where an automation is invoked that creates contacts, leads and activities pertaining to the user, and assigns this user and activities to the staff member that referred the enquiry.
- Follow-up future activities are automatically created pertaining to the staff member based on the engagement type and what next steps were agreed.
- All of this is attributed to the Parkex Event and easily visible in a single-click report.
We did this for each potential journey for each staff member on-site.
The journeys we agreed on were as follows:
- Prospect follow-up
- Customer follow-up
- Unqualified general enquiry
- Charity give-away entry
- Event gimmick interaction - this year, IPS used a driving simulator as a big spectacle and devised a competition around it to increase participation
- Recruitment enquiry
Each had an agreed purpose, intent and could be assign some level of value to contribute to a measurable return.
Did it work?
In short: absolutely.
Everything we did was to try to get the most out of the spend and investment in exhibition at the event, and the model we built provided a back-bone to the event being measurable.
The true proof is still in the pudding: the sales cycles and timeframes for IPS solution can be measured in years as they deal with local governments and funding rounds etc. so the true monetary value of the investment in Parkex 2026 possibly won’t be realised for a long time. The clear success here though is the fact that the model exists and that we’ve been through the process together. We built on what we produced for previous years, and next year, we’ll refine the model and refine the approach to continually move towards that better understanding of the true value and worth of Parkex.
Measuring the value of networking, face-to-face discussions, and entertaining customers is an inexact science, so that anecdotal success measurement is always needed, but everything that can be measured will always provide additional insight to help IPS make more informed decisions going forward.
Additional results & broader impact...
The general consensus from the team was that the event was a great success, and that there was genuine value in being there: being able to speak face-to-face with prospects, and develop customer relationships further - something the company values incredibly highly. The difference now is that we’ll be able to review a report after next year’s exhibition and have something to compare - this in itself is valuable.llenges our thinking. By trusting us to dive deep into their data, Omni-Pac allowed us to create a truly unique tool that does more than just sell—it educates.
The model and workflows also removed a lot of admin requirement from the staff members, and streamlined and removed barriers from the necessary data acquisition which has a real world monetary value.
Generally, the attendance this year better supported the company’s want to pivot towards representing as a “Tech Company”, and they felt that the whole presence and experience that we curated together was more fitting of that.
A round-up of what the work achieved
Giving IPS the beginnings of a solution to understand some kind of measurable performance against their spend for their annual industry event was a real win. Opening their minds to the potential of integrating real-world events with their CRM and creating bespoke supporting journeys for each of their staff to personalise the customer journey will ultimately help the company win more business in the future.
We helped IPS move Parkex from a standalone event presence towards a more measurable, joined-up digital journey and gave them a framework for capturing and following-up with visitors more intelligently.
Next year, we will push the boundaries of what IPS’ customers and prospects can expect and move into more personalised journey support and push towards a more directly measurable value resolution for all the time and effort that goes into their exhibition.#
If you’re planning an event and want the activity around it to do more than create a buzz on the day, we can help you map the journey before, during and after the event.
From landing pages and QR routes to CRM workflows and follow-up planning, we help make sure the right people are captured, the right actions happen next, and your team can see what worked.
