Jane Gentry, a regular contributor to Exhibit City News (ECN), will present a session focused on artificial intelligence and return on investment at ExhibitorLive in March.
Gentry’s session, The Show Optimization Breakthrough: How AI Solves Trade Shows’ 30-Year ROI Problem, is scheduled for Sunday, March 29, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. The program will examine how artificial intelligence is changing the way exhibitors connect tradeshow activity to closed revenue.
“For three decades, tradeshows chased one elusive goal: proving which deals actually came from which shows,” says Gentry. “Better badge scanners and lead forms didn’t solve it. The real problem was that customer relationship management, enterprise resource planning, and event data lived in separate systems that refused to talk.”
Session Description
For three decades, the tradeshow industry has chased the same elusive goal: driving the right prospects to each event and proving which deals actually came from which shows. We’ve tried everything—better badge scanners, smarter lead forms, complex spreadsheets—but the problem wasn’t the tools. The real issue was that your CRM, ERP, and tradeshow data lived in separate systems that refused to talk to each other.
That just changed.
AI now serves as the integration layer connecting these systems for the first time, making true show optimization possible. It not only tracks results from booth conversation through your sales pipeline to closed deals, but also identifies which attendees match your most profitable customer segments—before you even step onto the show floor.
Imagine walking into your next event already knowing which 50 companies look just like your top customers—the ones who buy repeatedly, spend more, and close faster. Imagine cutting underperforming shows and investing in events that deliver high-value buyers. Imagine showing your CMO a dashboard that proves Show X delivered $2.4M in closed revenue from repeat customers, while Show Y generated $890K from one-time purchasers.
This session introduces a five-step framework based on a proven methodology that finally solves the attribution challenge. You’ll learn how to focus time and budget on your most profitable segments—and transform exhibit managers from budget defenders into strategic advisors armed with data that speaks louder than any pitch deck.
Learning Objectives
- Discover how AI integration solves the 30-year show optimization problem by connecting your disconnected CRM, ERP, and event data—tracing every deal from booth conversation to signed contract with proof your CFO will believe.
- Learn how AI uses segmentation analysis to identify your most profitable customer profiles, then scores tradeshow attendees against that profile—helping you focus on high-value prospects and avoid tire-kickers.
- See real-world case studies showing how companies increased ROI, eliminated underperforming events, sustained lead volume, and pinpointed which shows deliver repeat, high-value customers who drive long-term revenue.
ExhibitorLIVE is an annual conference focused on exhibitor education, strategy, and best practices. This year the show is hosted March 29 through April 2nd, 2026. Additional details about the event and session programming are available through the show organizer.
Jane Gentry is a consultant, speaker, and managing partner at Jane Gentry & Company. She also serves as a coach in the Harvard Business School MBA Program for Entrepreneurial Sales and hosts the CEOs Unscripted podcast. Gentry co-contributes to ECN’s Business Beacon column series.
