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ZTAG Conferences & Trade Shows

Strategic Value of Trade Shows

Why Conferences Convert (vs. Social Media Leads)

Embodied Experience = Social Proof

Attendees experience ZTAG hands-on (kinesthetic learning)
Peer validation in real-time ("Everyone else thinks this is cool too")
Pre-committed mindset (traveled to learn, budgeted time)
Group decision-making (teachers + admins attend together)

Conversion Psychology:

Trade Show Attendee: "I blocked out 3 days, flew here with my superintendent, and we're evaluating solutions together. Let's try this."
Social Media Browser: "I'm sitting on the toilet between classes, saw something shiny, but no one I know has heard of this. Too risky to propose."

ZTAG Conversion Pattern:

Conference demos → warm pipeline → school pilot → district rollout
Social media ads → cold curiosity → ghosting (high volume, low conversion)

2026 Conference Calendar

Confirmed Events

CA Site Coordinator Symposium

Dates: February 24-28, 2026
Location: Long Beach, California
Host: California After-School Network (CAN)
ZTAG Role: Front-page sponsor (high visibility)
Attendees: Site coordinators (after-school program principals)
ZTAG Team: Quan attending (possibly Kris, Steve)
Strategic Value: Direct access to decision-makers at school level
Follow-Up Window: 3 months (Paula + Kris workflow)

Region 3 Conference

Dates: March 5-6, 2026
Location: TBD (California region)
ZTAG Team: Kris Neal handling solo
Attendees: Regional after-school coordinators
Notes: Quan will be in China (M5Stack OEM visit Mar 2-5)

NAA (National AfterSchool Association)

Dates: March 11-14, 2026
Location: Maryland
ZTAG Team: Steve Hanna handling solo
Attendees: National after-school program leaders
Booth Strategy: Demo-heavy, Steve runs equipment
Notes: Quan skipping this year to focus on SHAPE America

SHAPE America

Dates: March 17-21, 2026
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Host: Society of Health and Physical Educators
ZTAG Team: Quan + Charlie + Eric (Watch Out LLC)
Strategic Value:
- PE teacher audience (new market segment)
- Eric presenting ZTAG in PE context (Playmaker model)
- ZTAG sponsoring Eric's attendance
Standards Alignment: SHAPE America develops national PE standards
Budget Unknown: PE departments may have different funding sources than after-school
Conflict: March 20 Ecosystem Advisory meeting overlaps (needs resolution)

BOOST Conference

Dates: TBD (2026 calendar)
Location: TBD
Attendees: TBD
Notes: Listed in trade show CSV, details pending

Conference ROI Tracking (Data Gap)

Current Problem: Attending many events, but conversion tracking is unclear

How many leads from each conference?
Which conferences → closed deals?
Cost per lead by event?
Time to close post-conference?

Minnie-Research Action Item:

Pull Zoho CRM data: deals with "source = [conference name]"
Calculate ROI: (revenue from conference leads - booth cost) / booth cost
Identify highest-ROI events (double down) vs lowest (cut or reduce presence)

Kris's Observation (Feb 6 meeting):
"We're doing events, having fun, then they don't think about us the rest of the time. We need follow-up engagement the following month."

Booth Strategy & Logistics

Pre-Event Preparation

Kris Neal (Community Relations Lead):

Coordinate which team members attend which events
Invite existing customers to visit booth (warm introductions)
Pre-event outreach to warm leads in region ("We'll be at BOOST, can we schedule a meeting?")
Manage booth materials (banners, swag, tablets)

Steve Hanna (Demo Lead):

Ship equipment to venue (ZUES + 24 ZTAGGERs + charging case)
Pre-load demo games (Zombie Tag, ZTAG League, Freeze Tag)
Test WiFi connectivity at venue (backup plan if crowded network)
Prepare 5-10 min demo script (quick engagement, not full game)

Carmee Sarvida (Lead Capture):

Prepare lead capture forms (digital + paper backup)
Route demo requests → Steve
Route district-level conversations → Kris
Immediate follow-up (send digital packet same day)

On-Site Execution

Demo Format:

5-10 minute "taste test" (not full 30-min game)
Rapid cycles (get more people through booth)
Focus on "aha moments" (tag detection, LED state changes, peer laughter)
Capture lead info before they walk away

Conversation Routing:

Individual teacher: "Here's how to pitch this to your principal" (+ template)
Site coordinator: "Let's do a pilot at your school" (+ Steve contact for demo)
District admin: "Kris will follow up about district-wide rollout" (+ Kris business card)
Playmaker candidate: "Check out Eric's model in Wisconsin" (+ Watch Out LLC contact)

Materials to Have on Hand:

Pricing sheets (updated monthly — Carmee owns)
Spec sheets (technical details — Paula creates)
Grant language templates (ELOP, CCLC boilerplate)
Case studies (existing customer success stories)
Playmaker certification info (Steve's training program)

Post-Event Follow-Up (3-Month Window)

Immediate (Within 1 Week):

Thank-you email to all leads (personalized, not bulk)
Send digital packet (video, pricing, grant templates)
Route hot leads to Steve (demo requests) or Kris (district conversations)

30 Days Post:

Check-in email (Paula + Kris workflow)
Share conference highlight video (footage from event)
Soft ask: "Are you ready for a pilot program?"

90 Days Post:

Last touchpoint before lead goes cold
Offer: "We're doing demos in your region in [month], can we visit?"
Re-segment: Still interested? → Active pipeline. Not responding? → Nurture list.

Conference-Specific Notes

CA Site Coordinator Symposium (Feb 24-28)

Why This Matters:

Site coordinators = boots-on-the-ground after-school leaders
Funded by California After-School Network (CAN) — $4B ELOP backing
ZTAG is front-page sponsor (high visibility, credibility signal)
Ideal audience: school-level budget authority ($3k pilot threshold)

Demo Opportunity:

Possibly invite Ryan Summers + Malachi (Feb 27 or 28)
Show engineering behind the product (appeals to tech-curious educators)
Let them see game sessions live (not just booth demo)

Kris's Role:

Cultivate relationships with CAN leadership
Identify "hot lookalike" districts in attendance (cross-reference 531-district list)
Schedule post-conference visits (stack regional demos)

SHAPE America (Mar 17-21, Kansas City)

PE Market Exploration:

Unknown budget landscape (PE vs. after-school funding separate?)
Different decision-makers (PE coordinators, athletic directors)
Standards alignment crucial (SHAPE America writes national PE standards)

Eric as Case Study:

Eric (Watch Out LLC, Wisconsin PE teacher) presenting at conference
ZTAG sponsoring his attendance (flight, booth presence, materials)
Peer-to-peer credibility (teacher talking to teachers, not vendor)

Success Metrics:

How many PE departments show interest?
What budget sources do they have? (Title I PE grants? Booster clubs? PTA?)
Do PE teachers have authority to buy, or route up to district?

Strategic Decision Post-Conference:

Is PE market worth pursuing, or stay focused on after-school?
If PE converts well → dedicate resources
If PE struggles → treat as secondary market

NAA (Mar 11-14, Maryland)

National Scope:

Not California-specific (less ELOP funding alignment)
Broader after-school audience (camps, YMCAs, community centers)
Steve handling solo (Quan prioritizing SHAPE America same week)

Steve's Independence Test:

Can Steve run booth + demos without Quan oversight?
Capture leads, qualify prospects, schedule follow-ups
Report back: what worked, what didn't, what support needed

Event Economics (Need Data)

Cost Per Event (Estimate)

Booth Fees: $2,000-5,000 (varies by conference size)
Travel: $500-1,500 per person (flight, hotel, meals)
Shipping: $300-500 (equipment to/from venue)
Opportunity Cost: Quan/Kris/Steve time away from other revenue activities
Materials: $200-500 (banners, swag, printed collateral)

Total Per Event: ~$5,000-10,000 (rough estimate)

Revenue Per Event (Need CRM Data)

Action Item: Calculate for past conferences

How many deals closed with "source = [conference]"?
Average deal size from conference leads?
Time to close (faster than social media leads?)
Lifetime value (do conference customers refer others?)

Break-Even Calculation:

If event costs $7,500 and average deal is $10,000, need 1 closed deal to break even
If conversion rate is 10% and capture 50 leads → 5 deals → $50,000 revenue → 6.7x ROI

Strategic Question: Which conferences hit 5x+ ROI? (Double down.) Which are <2x? (Cut or reduce presence.)

Playmaker Network & Conference Presence

Eric Model (Watch Out LLC, Wisconsin)

Background:

PE teacher, bought ZTAG with own money ($10k personal investment)
Runs weekly community ZTAG events (3 years running)
Beta tester for new features (tight feedback loop with Quan)
Personal friend of Quan (flew to Wisconsin, stayed a week to observe)

Conference Role:

Accompanies ZTAG to conferences (NAA, SHAPE America)
Peer-to-peer credibility (teacher, not salesperson)
Demonstrates sustainable business model (not just hobby)

Replication Potential:

Can other PE teachers follow Eric's path?
How many "Erics" exist in other states/regions?
Playmaker certification → regional champions → conference co-presenters

Jae Model (Oregon Sports Academy)

Background:

12,000 sq ft facility (martial arts, after-school, tournaments)
Interested in permanent ZTAG installation + lighting integration
Potential entrepreneurship pathway program (kids run ZTAG events)

Conference Potential:

If Jae succeeds, becomes West Coast case study
Could present at SHAPE America or regional conferences
"From martial arts to ZTAG: broadening your offerings"

Future Conference Strategy

Prioritization Framework

Tier 1 (Must Attend):

CA Site Coordinator Symposium (core market, high ELOP alignment)
SHAPE America (PE market exploration, Eric showcase)
NAA (national after-school, broad reach)

Tier 2 (Evaluate ROI):

BOOST (need data on past performance)
Regional conferences (Region 3, etc.) — high local impact, lower cost

Tier 3 (Opportunistic):

State-specific conferences outside California (if expanding to TX, NY, etc.)
EdTech conferences (ISTE, etc.) — different audience, test messaging

Team Specialization

Quan: Strategic conferences only (SHAPE America, CA Symposium when critical)
Kris: Community-building conferences (all California, relationship-focused)
Steve: Demo-heavy conferences (NAA, BOOST) + field support (not just booth duty)
Carmee: Virtual support (lead capture, follow-up, CRM entry) — rarely on-site

Booth Evolution

Current: Manual demos, paper lead capture, generic booth setup
Future (Phase 4 Automation):

QR codes → auto-populates CRM (no manual entry)
Tablet-based lead capture (routes to Carmee in real-time)
Live ZTAG League tournament at booth (spectators become leads)
Video wall showing customer testimonials (social proof loop)

Data Gaps & Action Items

High Priority:

Calculate past conference ROI (revenue per conference vs. cost)
Identify highest-converting conferences (focus resources)
Track 3-month follow-up completion rate (are we actually doing it?)
Segment leads by conference type (PE vs. after-school conversion rates)

Medium Priority:
5. Build conference lead nurture sequences (automated drip emails)
6. Create conference-specific landing pages (track source attribution)
7. Pre-conference warm outreach (invite existing customers to booth)
8. Post-conference highlight reel (reusable marketing asset)

Document Version: 1.0
Last Updated: 2026-02-10
Sources: Meeting transcripts (Kris, Charlie, Carmee), 2026 trade show CSV, MEMORY.md, March calendar conflicts
Next Update Trigger: Post-SHAPE America debrief, conference ROI analysis complete
Owner: Minnie-Research + Kris (strategy), Steve (execution), Carmee (lead management)