I was checking my email
outside the meeting spaces
of a major technology company
at the Consumer Electronics Show
a few weeks ago.
These meetings were by invitation only.
The company didn’t have
any other display space at the event.
Curt security guards turned away
anyone dropping by.
They didn’t know who the person was.
He could have been the CEO of a partner
who didn’t expect to be at the event
or a reporter for TV station
or ???
It didn’t matter.
If the person’s name wasn’t on the list,
he wasn’t welcome.
I watched this
and thought
“What a waste!”
Here were people interested
in the company,
in their products,
and they were being turned away
empty handed.
The company had hired people
to man the ‘doors.’
How hard would it have been
to give these security guards
an informational pamphlet
or some sort of promo
to hand out?
When you host an invitation-only event,
think about how you can turn
the drop in guests
into happy customers.