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Conducting a Survey at a National Trade Show vs. Social Media: The Good, The bad and the QR Code

Teaching & Educational Technologies

Kalyn Waters
CED/Agriculture Agent
University of Florida
Bonifay

Abstract

Background: A team of researchers and Extension agents are working on collecting data as a part of a grant. To fulfill the grant’s requirement for a survey, the agents and specialists developed a virtual survey that was distributed to people involved in cattle production. The objectives of this booth were to 1) collect survey responses from cattle producers across the nation and 2) determine if a national trade show was an effective and efficient platform for survey data collection in comparison to social media (SM). Methods: Following IBR approval, the survey was distributed using two channels: SM and at a tradeshow booth done at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association event in Orlando, FL, in 2024. All responses were digital. Responses were collected by distributing a quick response (QR) code linked to a digital survey supported by Qualtrics. At the tradeshow booth, business cards, display graphics, and fliers were used to distribute the QR code to tradeshow attendees. Social media posts were created and shared to pages and groups related to cattle production. Results: 539 survey responses were collected over 132 days. Of these responses, 309 responses were from SM, and 230 were from them he tradeshow. The average time spent on the survey was 12 minutes. Of surveys completed during the tradeshow, 76% of the completions were during tradeshow hours. Conclusions: Both the tradeshow and the SM distribution channels lead to successful data collection. If conducting a survey at a national tradeshow, attendees tend to either complete the survey request while at the event or not at all.  There was little difference in the amount of time spent completing the survey, with participants spending 15 minutes at the tradeshow, 10 minutes outside the tradeshow, and 10 minutes on SM. Additional considerations should be taken to the cost per response. Travel, registration, and booth construction for the national tradeshow were approximately $7,000 ($30/response) whereas SM responses were free.  

Authors: Kalyn Waters, Dr. Angela Gonella Diaza, Nicolas Simmons , Maria C. Lopes Duarte, James K. Yarborough, Mark Mauldin, Dr. Lisa Garcia-Jimenrz, Vitoria Toffolo Luis Rozin
  1. Kalyn Waters CED/Agriculture Agent, UF/IFAS Extension Holmes County, Florida, 32425
  2. Dr. Angela Gonella Diaza State Beef Cattle Specialist, North Florida Research and Education Center/UF/IFAS Extension, Florida, 32446
  3. Nicolas Simmons County Extension Director & Agriculture, UF/IFAS Extension Escambia County, Florida, 32533
  4. Maria C. Lopes Duarte Graduate Student, North Florida Research and Education Center/UF/IFAS Extension, Florida, 32446
  5. James K. Yarborough Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent, UF/IFAS Extension Orange County, Florida, 32812
  6. Mark Mauldin Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent, UF/IFAS Extension Washington County, Florida, 32428
  7. Dr. Lisa Garcia-Jimenrz Research Assistant , North Florida Research and Education Center/UF/IFAS Extension, Florida, 32446
  8. Vitoria Toffolo Luis Rozin Graduate Intern, North Florida Research and Education Center/UF/IFAS Extension, Florida, 32446