Event follow-up is one of the highest-ROI use cases for AI SDR. After a conference with 200 captured leads, manual follow-up converts maybe 1-3% to qualified meetings. Artra at $99/month converts 5-15% by running personalized multi-touch follow-up on every lead within 24 hours of the event.
Why event follow-up matters
- Conferences cost $20K-$200K+ to attend with team and booth
- 200-500 leads typically captured per event
- Most reps follow up with only top 20-30 within first week
- 80% of leads go cold within 14 days of event
- Conversion rate on stale leads drops to near-zero
The AI SDR event playbook
| Day | Action |
|---|---|
| Day 0 (event end) | Export all leads to CSV with event + conversation context |
| Day 0 (evening) | Upload to Artra; configure event-specific sequence |
| Day 1 (morning) | AI sends personalized email referencing event + conversation |
| Day 4 | LinkedIn connection request referencing the event |
| Day 7 | Email with specific resource (case study, demo) |
| Day 14 | Final touch with clear CTA |
| Day 21 | Long-tail re-engagement (optional) |
Event follow-up message template
The AI agent generates per-prospect, but the structure is:
- Subject: "Great chat at {{event_name}}" or similar specific reference
- Opener: Reference the specific conversation or booth interaction
- Value reminder: Brief recap of what they expressed interest in
- CTA: Single clear next step (15-min call, demo, resource)
- Total length: 60-100 words
Set up event follow-up free — 10 minutes →
Frequently asked questions
Can AI SDR handle event follow-up?
Yes — event follow-up is one of the highest-ROI use cases for AI SDR. After a conference, reps typically have 100-500+ leads (booth scans, badge scans, casual conversations) that need follow-up within 7-14 days while the event is fresh. AI SDRs like Artra can run personalized multi-touch follow-up across all leads in parallel — referencing the event, the conversation context, and a clear next step.
Why does event follow-up fail so often?
Event follow-up fails because reps return from conferences exhausted, with hundreds of leads in spreadsheets, and within a week they've followed up with only the top 20-30. The other 80% of leads go cold. AI SDR solves this: every captured lead enters a personalized 4-6 touch follow-up cadence within 24 hours of the event, reference the event by name, and convert at 2-5x the rate of manual follow-up.
What's the right event follow-up cadence?
Event follow-up cadence: Day 1 (within 24 hrs of conference end) - personalized email referencing the event + the specific conversation or booth interest. Day 4 - LinkedIn connection request referencing the event. Day 7 - email with a specific resource (case study, video, demo link). Day 14 - final touch with clear CTA (15-min call). Stop touches when prospect engages or doesn't respond after the final.
How do I import event leads into AI SDR?
Import event leads into Artra via CSV upload (most events export to CSV from badge scanning tools), CRM sync (if leads are already in Salesforce/HubSpot), or manual entry for small lead counts. Add event-specific metadata: event name, booth conversation topic, captured-by rep. The agent uses this metadata for personalization in the cadence.
What ROI does AI SDR deliver on event leads?
AI SDR on event leads typically converts at 5-15% to qualified meeting vs 1-3% for manual follow-up. For a typical conference with 200 captured leads, that's 10-30 meetings via AI vs 2-6 via manual. At typical SaaS close rates (20-30%) and ACVs ($25K-$50K), the ROI on a single conference is often $50K-$300K in incremental pipeline at $99/month tool cost.