Day one at SaaStr, I spent 8 hours at our booth. Talked to prospects. Gave demos. Captured leads. Did exactly what I was supposed to do.
Day two, I took a different approach. I spent the first 90 minutes walking the expo hall. Not casually browsing—systematically observing every competitor's booth, messaging, demos, and customer conversations.
I filled six pages of notes. That intelligence changed three things:
- Our Q1 product roadmap (we built a feature we didn't know customers were asking for)
- Our competitive positioning (we discovered a weakness competitors were all making)
- Our pricing strategy (we learned we were 30% more expensive than market rate for similar features)
That 90-minute competitive intelligence walk generated more strategic value than the entire previous day at our booth.
That's when I learned: Trade shows aren't just lead generation opportunities. They're the best competitive intelligence gathering environment that exists.
Your competitors are in one place. Their messaging is visible. Their demos are observable. Their customers are walking around willing to talk. The entire competitive landscape is laid out in front of you for three days.
Most PMMs ignore this gold mine and focus only on their own booth.
Here's what I learned about gathering competitive intelligence at trade shows.
Why Trade Shows Are Intelligence Gold Mines
Most competitive intelligence happens through:
- Competitor websites (curated, marketing-heavy)
- Sales calls with prospects (second-hand, biased)
- Analyst reports (expensive, often outdated)
- Win/loss interviews (limited sample size)
Trade shows give you:
- Direct observation of competitor messaging and positioning
- Live demos showing actual product capabilities
- Real customer conversations about strengths and weaknesses
- Pricing information prospects are willing to share
- New product announcements and roadmap hints
- Hiring patterns (who's staffing the booth)
The density of intelligence is unmatched. In 90 minutes at a trade show, I can gather more competitive intelligence than a month of desk research.
The Systematic Booth Observation Process
Most people walk past competitor booths and think "nice booth" or "that messaging is interesting." That's not intelligence gathering.
The systematic process:
Step 1: The walk-by (30 seconds per competitor)
First pass: Walk past every competitor booth without stopping. Note:
- Booth size and location (premium placement means they're investing heavily)
- Messaging hierarchy (what's the dominant message visible from 20 feet?)
- Booth traffic (are people stopping or walking past?)
- Staff energy level (engaged and trained, or bored and unprepared?)
This quick scan identifies which competitors to investigate deeper.
Step 2: The observation (5-10 minutes per competitor)
Second pass: Stand near (not at) competitor booths and observe:
- What questions do prospects ask when they approach?
- How does staff respond? What's their pitch?
- What demo do they show? What features do they highlight?
- What objections do prospects raise?
- How does staff handle objections?
I pretend to check my phone while listening. Take notes immediately after moving away.
Step 3: The engagement (10-15 minutes per top competitor)
Third pass: Approach your top 2-3 competitors as a prospect.
My approach:
- Don't lie about who I am, but don't volunteer it either
- Ask questions a real prospect would ask
- Request a demo
- Raise objections to see how they handle them
- Ask about pricing
- Ask how they compare to us
The insight: You learn what they think their strengths are, how they position against you, what objections they're prepared for, and what weaknesses they admit to.
Example:
I approached our biggest competitor's booth at SaaStr. Asked for a demo. The rep showed me their new feature that addressed the #1 complaint we'd heard in win/loss interviews about their product.
That feature wasn't on their website yet. We had no idea they'd built it. This was a launch preview.
I immediately texted our product team: "Competitor X just launched [feature] that solves [pain point]. We need to prioritize our version or we'll lose deals on this."
We reprioritized roadmap. Built our version in 6 weeks. Launched before their GA release. Maintained competitive advantage.
That one 15-minute demo saved us potentially millions in lost deals.
The Messaging Analysis Framework
Competitor messaging at trade shows is different from website messaging. It's optimized for the expo hall: clear, direct, provocative.
What to capture:
Primary value prop:
- What's the headline on their booth?
- What problem do they say they solve?
- How is it different from their website messaging?
Positioning:
- Who do they say they're for? (Enterprise? SMB? Specific vertical?)
- What competitive frame are they using? (Better than X? Different from Y?)
- What category are they claiming?
Proof points:
- What customer logos are displayed?
- What metrics do they cite?
- What social proof are they leveraging?
Call to action:
- What do they want prospects to do?
- Is it "book a demo," "see the product," "talk to us"?
- How frictionless is the ask?
Example:
Our main competitor's booth messaging at Q3 conference: "Analytics Without the Data Team"
This was new. Their website said "Enterprise Analytics Platform." This expo messaging was targeting smaller companies who don't have data teams.
The insight: They're moving downmarket. We need to decide: defend that segment or cede it and focus on enterprise?
We chose to defend. Built marketing specifically for "companies without data teams." Messaging: "You don't need a data team to use [Product]—but you can grow into one."
Stopped their downmarket expansion before it started.
The Demo Intelligence Gathering Script
When I approach competitors for demos, I use a specific script designed to extract maximum intelligence:
Opening: "Hey, I'm evaluating options in this space. Can you show me what makes you different?"
(This frames me as in-market and positions them to differentiate)
During demo:
"How does this compare to [our product]?" or "How does this compare to [another competitor]?"
(Reveals how they position against us and what they think their advantages are)
Objection testing: "This looks expensive. What does pricing typically look like?"
"I've heard [specific complaint from win/loss interviews]. How do you handle that?"
"Do you integrate with [tool we integrate with]?"
(Tests if they've addressed known weaknesses)
Roadmap hints: "What's coming next? What should I wait for before buying?"
(Sometimes they'll tease upcoming features)
Example:
I asked a competitor: "How do you compare to [our product]?"
Their response: "We're faster and half the price. Most of their customers complain about performance and cost."
The intelligence:
- They're competing on price (means we might be overpriced or they're underpriced)
- They've heard "performance" as an objection to us (need to investigate if this is real or manufactured)
- They're talking to our customers (means churn risk or expansion risk)
I immediately:
- Ran performance benchmarks (we were actually faster on 4 of 5 tests)
- Built battle card addressing "performance" objection with benchmark data
- Investigated pricing (we were 30% higher, but justified by features they lacked)
The Customer Conversation Strategy
Prospects at trade shows will tell you things about competitors they'd never tell a competitor directly.
How to identify competitor customers:
Look for:
- People leaving competitor booths with swag/materials
- People who stop to read competitor messaging but don't engage
- People wearing conference badges with company names you recognize as competitor customers
The approach:
I don't ambush them. I start a natural conversation:
"Hey, I saw you at [Competitor]'s booth. Are you currently using them?"
If yes: "How's that going? We're evaluating options."
What to ask:
"What do you like about them?" "What's frustrating about them?" "Are you looking at alternatives?" "If you could change one thing, what would it be?"
People are remarkably candid at conferences. The environment feels informal and educational, not salesy.
Example:
I met someone at a conference bar who mentioned they used Competitor X. I asked how it was going.
Their response: "It's fine, but we're probably switching. The pricing jumped 40% at renewal and support has gotten really slow."
The intelligence:
- Competitor is aggressively increasing prices (means either financial pressure or value capture opportunity)
- Support is declining (means they're either understaffed or deprioritizing post-sale)
- Customers are open to switching (expansion opportunity)
We immediately:
- Created a competitive displacement campaign targeting their customers
- Built messaging around "predictable pricing" and "responsive support"
- Allocated $15K to a targeted campaign
Won 6 customers from them in the next quarter. $320K in annual contract value.
That bar conversation ROI: probably 20x.
The Staffing and Hiring Intelligence
Who's staffing a competitor's booth tells you a lot:
What to observe:
Seniority:
- Junior SDRs only? (They're probably struggling to close deals)
- Mid-level AEs? (Standard approach)
- Executives and founders? (Either very early stage or major strategic event)
Team composition:
- Heavy sales presence? (Sales-led GTM)
- Heavy product/engineering presence? (Product-led or technical sale)
- Marketing-heavy? (Brand play)
Hiring signals:
- Lots of new faces? (They're scaling fast)
- Same people as last year? (Stable or not growing)
- "We're hiring!" signs? (Growth mode—and which roles?)
Example:
At a conference, Competitor Y's booth had 8 people—all relatively junior sales reps. No executives. No product people. All very new (based on LinkedIn stalking their team afterward).
The insight: They raised money and are scaling sales fast. This means:
- Increased competitive encounters incoming (need to prepare sales)
- Reps are probably new and less trained (opportunity to out-execute)
- They're betting on volume over quality (we can win on expertise)
We adjusted sales strategy: built enablement focused on "why experience matters" positioning. Emphasized our team's tenure and expertise. Worked.
The Pricing Intelligence Extraction
Pricing is the hardest intelligence to get. Trade shows make it easier.
How to get pricing information:
Method 1: Ask directly
"What does pricing typically look like for [company our size]?"
50% of reps will give you a range. The other 50% say "it depends" (but that's information too—means complex pricing).
Method 2: Ask prospects leaving their booth
"Did they share pricing with you?"
Prospects who just got a quote are sometimes willing to share.
Method 3: Request a quote as a prospect
If you're willing to go further, request follow-up. Sometimes they'll email pricing.
What I've learned:
- Competitor A: $30K base + $5K per integration
- Competitor B: $800/user/month with 10-user minimum
- Competitor C: Custom pricing (means enterprise-only, high-touch)
How we used it:
We were charging $50K base with unlimited integrations. Competitor A's integration pricing meant we were better value for customers needing multiple integrations.
We adjusted messaging: "Unlimited integrations included" became a key differentiator. Positioned their per-integration pricing as "nickel and diming."
Won deals on that positioning.
The New Product Launch Indicators
Competitors often preview new products at trade shows before official launch.
Signs of new product launches:
- "Coming soon" messaging on booth
- Demos of features not on their website
- Staff mentioning "we just launched" or "we're launching soon"
- New branding or messaging that doesn't match their website
- Press releases timed to conference
Example:
Competitor Z had a section of their booth labeled "New: [Product Name]"—a feature that directly competed with our core offering.
I watched demos. Asked questions. Gathered as much intelligence as possible.
Immediate actions:
- Documented their capabilities
- Identified gaps (what we do that they don't)
- Built competitive response battle card
- Trained sales team before official launch
- Prepared counter-messaging
When they officially launched 3 weeks later, we were ready. We didn't lose a single deal to the new feature because we'd prepared defensive positioning.
The Intelligence Documentation System
Raw observations are useless without organization.
My documentation process:
During event:
- Note-taking app on phone
- Quick bullet points after each observation
- Photos of booth messaging (discreetly)
- Voice memos with immediate thoughts
End of each day:
- 30 minutes organizing notes
- Transfer to shared Google Doc
- Flag anything urgent for immediate action
Post-event:
- Full competitive intelligence brief (5-7 pages)
- Organized by competitor
- Sections: Messaging, Positioning, Product, Pricing, Staffing, Strategic Implications
- Distributed to: Product, Sales, Marketing leadership
The format:
Competitor: [Name]
Messaging Changes:
- Primary value prop: [observation]
- Positioning shift: [observation]
- Strategic implication: [what it means for us]
Product Intelligence:
- New features observed: [list]
- Gaps vs. our product: [analysis]
- Customer pain points mentioned: [list]
Pricing:
- Pricing model: [observed]
- Approximate costs: [range]
- Comparison to us: [analysis]
Strategic Recommendations:
- Product: [what we should build/not build]
- Marketing: [messaging adjustments]
- Sales: [enablement needs]
This brief becomes the foundation for competitive strategy for the next quarter.
The Uncomfortable Truth About Competitive Intelligence
Most PMMs spend 100% of their trade show time at their own booth and 0% gathering competitive intelligence.
They focus entirely on lead generation and miss the strategic intelligence sitting 50 feet away.
The hard reality: The leads you generate at a trade show are worth $5K-$10K in pipeline. The competitive intelligence you gather could influence $500K+ in strategic decisions (product roadmap, pricing, positioning).
Yet most PMMs never walk the floor systematically.
What doesn't work:
- Spending 100% of time at your own booth
- Casually browsing competitors without systematic observation
- Not engaging with competitors for demos
- Ignoring customer conversations about competitors
- Taking notes but never organizing or sharing them
What works:
- Dedicating 20-30% of trade show time to competitive intelligence
- Systematic booth observation of all major competitors
- Engaging competitors for demos using prospect scripts
- Finding and talking to competitor customers
- Documenting and sharing intelligence immediately
The best competitive intelligence at trade shows:
- Map all competitor booths on day one
- Observe each competitor for 5-10 minutes
- Get demos from top 3 competitors
- Talk to 3-5 competitor customers
- Document everything in structured brief
- Share with product, sales, marketing within 48 hours
If you're attending trade shows and not gathering competitive intelligence, you're using 20% of the opportunity.
Walk the floor. Observe systematically. Engage competitors. Talk to their customers. Document everything.
The intelligence you gather will inform strategy for the next 6-12 months.
That's worth way more than another 20 badge scans.