To gather usable feedback after SIREXE 2026, combine three moments: a short chat on the stand, a few-question survey sent within 48 hours, then a targeted call a few weeks later. This method gives you both the emotion of the moment and a considered opinion.
SIREXE 2026 runs from 18 to 22 November at the Abidjan Exhibition Park, with more than 30 countries expected. Over five days, your team will talk with dozens of decision-makers. In this article, you will learn how to turn those conversations into reliable data, then into decisions.
Exhibiting at SIREXE 2026?
Prepare your feedback collection now with a stand designed to welcome, engage and measure. Let's talk about your project.
Talk about my trade show project →Why is post-SIREXE 2026 follow-up crucial for your ROI?
A trade show is an investment, and without feedback you cannot know whether it pays off. Stand, travel, staff time, communication materials: the costs are visible. The benefits stay vague until you measure them.
Follow-up after the show answers three concrete needs:
- Measure your return on investment. You compare the budget committed with the number of qualified contacts and genuinely opened opportunities. Our guide to managing your event budget in Abidjan helps you set up this framework beforehand.
- Improve your presence. SIREXE is a biennial event. Remarks about the welcome, the readability of the stand or the sales pitch will feed directly into your next participation.
- Follow up at the right time. A visitor who still remembers your demonstration is more likely to answer than a contact reached six weeks later.
If you still hesitate about a trade show's profitability, also read the advantages and drawbacks of trade shows in Côte d'Ivoire and the reasons to take part in a trade show in Abidjan.
Hot feedback vs cold feedback: two complementary approaches
Hot feedback captures the immediate impression, cold feedback measures what remains after a few weeks. Neither is enough on its own; it is their combination that makes the analysis reliable.
| Criterion | Hot feedback | Cold feedback |
|---|---|---|
| Timing | On the stand, or within 48 hours | 3 to 8 weeks after the show |
| What it measures | Welcome, clarity of the offer, first impression | Brand recall, progress of the purchase project |
| Ideal format | 2 to 3 questions, QR code, spoken exchange | Short call or a 5-question survey |
| Limit | Polite, sometimes superficial answers | Hazier memories, lower response rate |
On the stand, keep it brief. A visitor in a hurry gives an opinion in 30 seconds, not five minutes. Keep the open question for those who took the time for a real conversation. To create these moments of exchange, rely on our 11 tips to increase visitor engagement on your stand.
After the show, let things settle. Cold feedback reveals what the visitor retained, what they compared and where their project stands. This is often where you find out why a promising conversation did not lead anywhere.
The best channels and tools to survey your stand visitors
The right channel is the one your visitor already uses. A busy managing director will answer a WhatsApp message faster than a long email. Here are the most effective options:
- The QR code to a mobile form. Display it on the stand, on your business cards and on a handout given at the end of a conversation. Tools like Google Forms, Typeform or Tally are enough.
- The tablet or kiosk on the stand. It lets you collect hot feedback and qualify the contact on the spot. Find out why adding interactivity to your stands changes the quality of the data you collect.
- WhatsApp Business. Ideal for a personalised thank-you followed by two simple questions. Always ask for the visitor's consent before writing to them.
- The thank-you email. It carries the survey, a recap of your conversation and the proposed next step.
- The phone call. Keep it for your priority leads; it is the best tool for cold feedback.
- LinkedIn. An invitation with a personal note extends the relationship without sales pressure. To go further, read our article on B2B networking in Abidjan.
Whatever the channel, think about consent: state clearly how you will use the contact details collected, in line with the privacy policy you apply.
Which questions should you ask to get truly usable feedback?
Ask few questions, but questions that lead to a decision. Beyond five questions, the drop-off rate climbs. Each question must meet a precise need: improve the stand, qualify the lead or adjust the offer.
Here are seven questions to adapt to your business:
- How did you hear about our stand? (measures the effectiveness of your pre-show communication)
- On a scale of 1 to 5, how did you find the welcome from our team?
- Did you easily find the information you were looking for?
- Which element of the stand struck you the most? (visual, demonstration, activation, product)
- Do you have a project related to our offer in the next 12 months?
- Would you like to be contacted again, and by what means?
- What could we have done better? (open question, the richest in insights)
Avoid leading questions. “Did you enjoy our excellent welcome?” pushes people to answer yes. Prefer a neutral scale, then an open question. Also vary the formats: scales, multiple choice and free text complement each other.
The quality of the answers also depends on the quality of the welcome. Our article on how to make your stand a must-see details the levers that make visitors want to speak up.
How do you analyse and structure the data collected?
Centralise everything in a single file before starting the analysis. Business cards, forms, team notes, WhatsApp messages: gather these sources in a spreadsheet or a CRM, with one row per contact.
Then follow this four-step method:
- Sort leads into three categories. A for a concrete short-term project, B for real interest without a deadline, C for a courtesy contact.
- Group comments by theme. Welcome, stand visibility, clarity of the offer, activations. If three visitors out of ten mention the same point, it is a signal to act on.
- Calculate your key indicators. Number of contacts, survey response rate, number of A and B leads, and cost per qualified lead, meaning the total show budget divided by the number of A and B leads.
- Write a one-page summary. Three findings, three decisions, one owner for each. Share it with management and the sales team.
Keep in mind that the analysis concerns your stand as much as your visitors. To compare your observations with real cases, browse our projects, including the Sam and Sons stand at SIREXE in Abidjan.
A stand that welcomes, engages and gets people talking
Our team designs stands and activations that make exchanges and feedback collection easier. Tell us about your next trade show.
Request a conversation →Checklist: the 5 actions to take as soon as SIREXE 2026 closes
The first 48 hours after the show are decisive. Here is the recommended order of action:
- The last evening: gather all contacts. Photograph business cards, collect each team member's notes and jot down the key points before you forget them.
- The next day: hold a 30-minute team debrief. Everyone shares what worked, what surprised them, what got in the way.
- Within 48 hours: send the thank-you message. Personalise it with a detail from the conversation and attach the link to your short survey.
- Within a week: qualify your leads and call the A contacts. Offer a meeting or a quote without waiting.
- Within 15 days: produce your summary and plan the cold feedback. Set the date of the follow-up request now, a few weeks out.
In short, good follow-up comes down to three ideas: collect quickly, ask few questions, decide with figures. Companies that apply this discipline reach the next edition with a better-designed stand and better-prepared teams. To build your next presence at a trade show, discover our support for trade shows and our expertise in stand design.
Turn your next trade show into a measurable lever
From the stand concept to on-site activation, we help you prepare a setup that eases the welcome and the collection of feedback. Contact us to discuss it.
Contact the Pixlevent team →FAQ
When should you send the satisfaction survey after a trade show?
Ideally within 48 hours. The memory of your stand is still fresh and the visitor has not yet been approached by your competitors. The longer you wait, the less precise the answers.
How many questions should you ask?
Three to five questions are enough. Beyond that, the risk of drop-off increases. Add a single open question to collect the most useful remarks.
How do you encourage visitors to respond?
Explain what their opinion will be used for and make answering easy. A survey reachable with one QR code scan, a promise of a quick reply and, where appropriate, a small thank-you gesture all raise participation.
Can you survey visitors who did not leave their contact details?
Yes, but only on the stand. A short spoken poll or an anonymous QR code lets you collect opinions without personal data. For any follow-up after the show, the visitor's consent remains essential.
