For sales and BD managers
Turn a day on the show floor into pipeline you can forecast.
A trade show puts more of your market under one roof than almost any other day of the year. Beagle makes sure every conversation your reps have there reaches your pipeline, with a named owner and a next step.
Northstar Mobility
Team dashboard · 2026
Shows
3
Cost
£9,250
Convos
86
Opps
27
Pipeline
£126k
Won
£41k
ROI
4.4×
Won ÷ cost
By show
Cost in, value out, per show.
| Show | Convos | Opps | Pipeline | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Clean Fleet Expo ExCeL London | 34 | 12 | £58k | £18k |
Mobility Leaders Summit NEC Birmingham | 29 | 9 | £42k | £15k |
Commercial Logistics Week NEC Birmingham | 23 | 6 | £26k | £8k |
Working metrics
What the team caught
On-target
52
Avg fit
4.2 ★
Cost / lead
£108
Target CPL
£178
Fit distribution
Sound familiar?
What a show costs when the trail goes cold
- Two reps pitch the same stand, while others never get visitedWasted hours, and you look disorganised to the prospect
- Cards come back in pockets with the context goneFollow-ups go out generic, and warm leads cool
- Notes live in five apps, or nowhereThe CRM gets updated late, or not at all
- Follow-up slips while everyone clears their inboxThe 48 hours after a show, when interest peaks, are lost
- The best conversation happened in the coffee queueNobody logs it, so it never existed
- Nobody can say what the show added to pipelineNext year's attendance is decided on gut feel
- A rep leaves and their contacts go with themThe relationships you paid to build walk out of the door
What changes with Beagle
Before, on the day and after
Before the show
- Pick the show in the Beagle directory and shortlist exhibitors by sector.
- Tier targets: must-see accounts first, drop-ins if time allows.
- Split halls across the team, so coverage is planned, not accidental.
- Share a booking link so prospects pick a slot; talks block clashing meetings.
- Send every rep the same brief, so they arrive knowing the plan.
On the day
- Reps talk for 20 seconds after each conversation and Beagle writes it up.
- Business cards and badges scanned and checked before saving.
- One-line Fast Log for quick stand visits.
- People met in aisles, seminars and queues count too.
- Notes queue on the phone if signal drops in the hall.
After the show
- Every promise becomes a follow-up with an owner and a date.
- AI-drafted follow-up emails, ready for each rep to personalise.
- Duplicate contacts merged so one company has one trail.
- A CRM-ready CSV of the whole team's opportunities.
- Come back weeks later and mark opportunities won or lost.
In detail
How the trail stays warm
01
Cover the floor, don't swarm it.
Assign halls before the doors open and watch hall progress fill as reps log stand visits. Fewer double pitches, fewer stands missed.
- Hall 1 · Rep A14 of 18 stands
- Hall 2 · Rep B9 of 15 stands
- Hall 3 · Rep C11 of 12 stands
02
20 seconds of talking, the whole opportunity.
Who they are, what they need, estimated value, when it could move, and the next actions. Reps check it, Beagle files it.
- CompanyNorthline Fleet
- Need40 depot chargers
- Value£24k
- HeatHot
- NextProposal by Friday
03
Meetings booked before the doors open.
Your availability, their pick, your approval. Talks you want to see block overlapping slots automatically.
- 10:30Meeting · Stand B12
- 11:15Talk · Main Theatre
- 12:00Meeting · Café
04
One follow-up list for the whole team.
Every follow-up owned, dated and visible. Reassign when someone is off, so nothing waits for a holiday to end.
- Send proposal · Rep AToday
- Book demo · Rep BTomorrow
- Intro to partner · Rep CThu
05
Pipeline you can put a number on.
Opportunities carry heat and estimated value, per rep and per show, so you can see what the day put on the table.
- Rep A£31k · 5 opps
- Rep B£18k · 4 opps
- Rep C£12k · 3 opps
06
The truth, three months later.
Reconcile what actually closed, so next year's decision rests on outcomes, not show-day optimism.
- Pipeline at show close£61k
- Won after 90 days£19k
- Still open£22k
The playbook
How strong sales teams work a show
Set a number before you go
A target turns a day out into a job.
In Beagle: Lead targets per show
Tier your targets
Your best people spend their best hours on the best accounts.
In Beagle: Target list from the directory
Split the floor
Coverage beats crowding.
In Beagle: Halls assigned per rep
Book the anchors, walk for the rest
Booked meetings give the day its spine.
In Beagle: Booking link and timetable
Capture within a minute
Detail fades fast on a busy floor.
In Beagle: Voice capture, card and badge scan
Agree a 48-hour rule
Interest is highest straight after the show.
In Beagle: Follow-ups with owners and dates
Debrief this week, reconcile this quarter
You learn what worked and what closed.
In Beagle: Review pack, then reconciliation
What you can measure
The numbers a sales manager gets
- Conversations per rep per day
- On-target conversations
- Opportunities created
- Pipeline value per rep and per show
- Follow-ups completed on time
- Won value per show after reconciliation
- Cost per qualified conversation
Questions
Questions sales managers ask
- We don't exhibit. Does it still work?
- Yes. Beagle started as a tool for teams walking shows to prospect, source and find partners.
- How do reps avoid pitching the same stand?
- Halls are assigned in advance and hall progress shows which stands have been visited. Any duplicate contacts are merged after the show.
- Does it replace our CRM?
- No. It gets clean, complete opportunities into it, via a CRM-ready CSV export.
- Do reps have to type?
- No. They talk, and Beagle writes it up for them to check.
- Do conversations away from stands count?
- Yes. Anyone you meet in an aisle, a seminar or the coffee queue can be captured.
- What happens when a rep leaves?
- Their captures stay in the company workspace. Remove the seat and they lose access.