What makes a company keep investing in a booth at the Intersolar & Energy Storage North America (IESNA) Flagship event, year after year?
We’re asking long-term IESNA exhibitors that question directly, one company at a time. Their answers aren’t about foot traffic or brand impressions. They’re about what happens when a product gets put in someone’s hands, or a conversation happens face-to-face instead of over a scheduled call.
The show floor is where a skeptical installer can hold a product, ask a hard technical question, and get an answer on the spot, something no spec sheet, webinar, or cold call can replicate.
Here’s what Aurora Solar, which specializes in software for solar sales, design, and proposal generation, had to say.
Booth Programming Built Around the Problem
Nick Fathergill, Senior Account Executive, has watched Aurora’s booth evolve step by step with the problems installers are trying to solve. The goal, he says, is practical: help someone discover a new capability and leave with a clear idea of how it fits their business.
A Demo Tied to the Installer’s Own Business
As a software company on a floor full of hardware, Aurora leans into one advantage a manufacturer can’t easily match: a live demo tied to an attendee’s actual business, not a staged display.
“Installers come to IESNA thinking about what they can put to work in their businesses,” Fathergill says. “That makes it especially useful for software, because we can connect a demonstration to the challenges they face every day.”
Why the Conversation Doesn’t End at the Booth
The face time pays off well beyond the demo itself. “You cannot place too much value on having a conversation that isn’t limited to a scheduled check-in,” Fathergill says. Account managers book formal meetings in advance, but just as much value comes from the organic moments: users stopping by for technical guidance, or hearing about a new feature from the person who built it.
Meals and happy hours matter too: “IESNA is a place to build and grow relationships, and keeping those relationships front and center is what makes for a better product.”
Advice for Software Exhibitors
His advice to other software companies sizing up a hardware-heavy show: start with why customers are actually there. “Installers evaluating equipment also need to understand how they’ll design projects and sell to customers, as well as how their business functions. Software is a big part of that conversation.”
Bring a working demo built around a problem that’s immediately clear, so that once attendees see the product, they understand it intuitively, giving them a concrete reason to keep talking after the show.
Explore Exhibiting Options
Aurora’s story is just one example of what happens when a company puts its product directly in front of the people who use it every day.
Whether you’re considering exhibiting at IESNA for the first time or you’re a long-time exhibitor with a growth story of your own, reach out to our sales team or visit our Exhibitor Information page to see what a booth could look like for your business.
Peter Andersen
Sales Manager [email protected]
Nicole Poulin
Account Executive [email protected]
Ed Ware
Account Executive [email protected]
