PlayAbly Podcast Episode 37: Booths, Badges & Busts: Which Conferences Are Actually Worth It for Your Brand?

Welcome back to the PlayAbly podcast! In this episode, John and Kajal ask a question every ecommerce founder, brand marketer, and growth lead has faced:

Are conferences really worth the cost—or are they just expensive hype?

From mega-events like Shoptalk, INBOUND, and NRF to tightly curated niche summits and DTC-specific forums, we break down what kinds of conferences actually drive ROI—and which ones just burn your budget.

We share:

• Real stories of brands spending $25K on booths with zero follow-through
• Why sponsored attendees (yes, even at big-name events) might not be your buyers
• How some founders got better returns from VIP dinners than massive floor space
• When to sponsor vs. when to just attend
• The secret to stretching conference ROI with content, follow-up, and first-party data collection

We also talk about how tools like PlayAbly
can amplify your post-event engagement—whether through gamification eCommerce
strategies or building a gamification rewards program
that keeps leads and customers connected long after the conference ends.

✅ Plus: A practical checklist to help you choose smarter, prep better, and follow up like a pro.

If you’re tired of mistaking foot traffic for conversions and want your next event to actually move the needle—this one’s for you.

Welcome to the PlayAbly Podcast, where we dive into the art and science of gamification, customer engagement, and driving conversions. 

At PlayAbly, we turn passive audiences into active customers through shoppable games and playable experiences that transform how brands connect with their customers. Book your free demo here.

Get Your First Month of PlayAbly free when you mention this Podcast during your free PlayAbly Demo - learn how gamification can improve your ecommerce shop at www.playably.ai

Transcript

Welcome back to the PlayAbly podcast. Today we’re diving into something every brand owner wonders: Are conferences worth it? And if so — which ones should you spend your time and budget on?

Totally. For many founders, conferences are a double-edged sword. You can walk away energized and with new business, or you can feel like you just blew money on flights, hotels, and sessions. We’ll walk through how to tilt toward the winners.

Let’s start by comparing the big name shows with the niche ones. On the big side, you have retail / eCommerce standards like Shoptalk, NRF, DMEXCO (Europe), and marketing/brand names like INBOUND, ANA Masters of Marketing, or Gartner marketing summits.

These bring scale, buzz, big speakers, and exposure — but they also come with high price tags, crowded halls, and stiff competition to be noticed.

Meanwhile, niche or vertical events (e.g. fashion brand conferences, DTC summits, domain‑specific eCommerce forums) tend to be smaller, more curated—and ironically often more effective for certain brands. The signal-to-noise is better; you can actually make real connections.

I remember one founder telling me: at a big show she spent $25,000 on a booth, swag, staff travel, and collateral—and ended up with maybe 80 real leads. But at a niche branding summit costing $5,000, she had 12 one-on-one meetings, two new wholesale deals, and stronger relationships that turned into longer-term revenue. The margins on those niche deals were higher because there was less discount pressure.

Let’s get into the numbers. There’s a great framework in “The Conference ROI Playbook” for estimating returns: your costs include ticket, travel, hotel, meals, time, and opportunity cost. Then measure leads, conversions, average deal size, gross margin, and calculate ROI: (Revenue × Margin–Cost)/Cost(Revenue × Margin – Cost) / Cost(Revenue × Margin–Cost)/Cost.

As a rough example: assume your total cost is $10,000 for a conference. You collect 100 qualified leads, of which 10% convert to orders averaging $1,000 each. That’s $100,000 revenue. If your gross margin is 50%, gross profit = $50,000. Subtract cost ($10,000): net $40,000 → ROI = 400%. That’s a win.

But many events underperform, especially when leads are superficial or relationships aren’t followed up. Also note that exhibiting (booth, shipping, staff) often costs 2–5× just attending.

Exactly. And you should assume that not every contact becomes revenue immediately. Some of the ROI is long tail—partnerships, referrals, content licensing, speaking gigs, etc.

Here’s how I’d filter:

Audience match — Are your ideal buyers or partners going to be there? If yes, that event has potential.

Sponsorship / visibility options — Even small events let you sponsor a track or host a workshop. That can increase your signal without doing a full booth.

Curated attendee lists / exclusivity — If the event is highly selective, odds of meeting serious prospects go up.

Content & breakout formats — Workshops, roundtables, peer sessions are better than monologues.

Track record & referrals — Ask past attendees: did they get value?

Geographic or vertical advantage — If your brand is localized or niche (e.g. surfwear, sustainable goods, Pacific brands), a regional or vertical event might give you dominance rather than blending in.

I was speaking to someone who once considered sponsoring a major marketing show in LA for their app brand. The booth price was $15,000 plus travel. But before committing, they met the organizer and discovered that only 10% of the attendees were actively shopping for apps—they’d mostly compete with other software vendors. Instead, they invested that same money in sponsoring a boutique “Sass for retail” micro-conference in New York. They got better leads, had deeper conversations, and a few speaking slots. ROI was higher.

Attendee makeup is really important to ROI

can we talk about how some conferences will give away free tickets or even cover travel and hotel costs for attendees?

Yes. Huge point. A lot of newer or struggling conferences will pad the room with “sponsored attendees” just to inflate the numbers. On paper it looks great—"1,200 attendees!" But how many of those folks are actually your buyers?

Exactly. And let’s be honest—if someone took a free pass and a free trip to Vegas, are they there to buy, or are they there to catch a few panels, sip free coffee, and party? Plus it's not just the small and new conferences anymore - the big names are doing it too

Right. And that’s not to knock those people—it’s smart to take free professional development—but if you’re a sponsoring brand, you’re footing the bill to market to a crowd that might not even be in-market. They’re just enjoying the comp.

I think in exchange they make them take meetings with sponsors and vendors too, right? Imagine wasting time on a meeting trying to sell to someone who is just taking the meeting to get their trip paid for. They're not buying

Well I don't have to imagine because that has happened to us. At a few conferences. 

I had a founder friend who sponsored one of these newer tech x retail crossover events. The booth traffic was solid—but no follow-through. She said it felt like “Instagram engagement”—a lot of drive-bys, no conversions.

That’s the key: quality over headcount. When you hear “we’re flying in 500 handpicked buyers,” ask how they were picked. And whether they actually requested to be there—or just said yes to a free flight.

And here’s a better move: instead of hoping people swing by your booth, host a VIP dinner or roundtable for your real prospects. Invite only your ICP. That’s how you get actual signal in a room full of noise.

Or go the route some founders do—attend, don’t sponsor. Pay the couple hundred bucks for a badge, skip the booth, and invest the rest in highly-targeted meetings and follow-ups.

Bingo. Attendee ≠ buyer. Sponsored attendee ≠ qualified lead.

Attending is just half the battle. The real ROI comes from:

Pre-event outreach — reach out to attendees or speakers you want to meet in advance.

Content repurposing — record panels, blog recaps, videos, social snippets.

Personal follow-up within 48 hours — send messages referencing your meeting, propose next steps.

Referral systems — ask your new contacts, “Who else should I meet?”

Continuity — invite them into your community, newsletter, beta groups.

Many brands waste 80% of value because they “attended and that’s it.” The multiplier is in the follow-through.

Final action list:

Select 1–2 high-potential events per year (one big for brand reach, one niche for depth)

Allocate a small “experimentation fund” for new or emerging conferences

Before signing up, map out your goals (lead generation, partnerships, visibility) and success metrics

Plan your “conference playbook” — who you'll meet, which sessions, content you’ll create

Post-event, follow up hard and repurpose everything

Focus on intention, selectivity, and execution. ANd if you can, talk to people who have been before - ask in forums and places like Reddit to get feedback on what people thought about paying to sponsor or attend

Exactly. Let your next conference be a step forward, not just a box checked. Start small, learn fast, and scale smart.