It’s probably the biggest date on your marketing calendar. Whether it’s Mobile World Congress, CeBIT, CES or a more niche show, every marketer and PR wants to get the most out of the investment, and, ideally, exceed goals. Let’s face it, exhibitions are a huge project: from the planning and preparation through to the hours on the show floor, it’s no walk in the park. You have to be able to squeeze every last drop of PR and marketing juice out of it to make every hour and dollar spent worth it.
And this is no ordinary communications environment. The window to get your message out there is narrow. The opportunity to speak to, and relate to media, is limited. And you are not the only one vying for attention. All your competitors are right next to you doing the same. So, how do you ensure you are ahead of the game? Here are some key pointers to consider.
- Prep, Prep, Prep: An obvious one, but doing it well will take away at least some of the last-minute headaches. Start planning, finalize a strategy and agree objectives well in advance. As a general rule, media outreach needs to start at least eight weeks before the event. If you want a journalist to speak to you versus a competitor, don’t leave things to chance. From coordinating diaries to press packs to forward features to show specials, do your research, explore every opportunity and firm things up early.
- Exploit Content: You have a story to tell, otherwise you wouldn’t be at the show. So think about all the ways you can tell that story and bring it to life. Make it eye-catching and easy to find. Use the content across every appropriate channel, and get it in front of the right people in a way they can use it.
- Comfy Shoes: OK, this point is not all about footwear. But those days on-site are intense, and you will need to be able to run around. From getting from A to B to representing on the stand, right to taking media to the correct meeting room for an interview. Don’t underestimate how much ground you will cover, literally!
- The Booth Basics: I could write a whole post just on elements for the booth. It’s the bulk of the budget and your home for the duration of the show. Maybe it isn’t part of your remit to decide the key things like location, materials, graphics or visual content on display. However, make sure your contacts know where to find the team, and that those ‘faces’ are well-briefed, approachable and energetic!
- Track Well, Report Rapidly: Execs will want to see the results asap after the show. How many interviews? How many pieces of coverage? How many shares? How many clicks? How many visitors to the booth? And ultimately, how many sales leads? Be sure to keep monitoring this after the event to ensure you capture all the results, as this is data you will need to justify next year’s participation and investment.
- Have Fun: I’ve already said it’s no walk in the park, and I mean it. However, that’s what makes a trade show one of the most rewarding projects you can work on. Embrace the madness, push yourself to the limit and keep smiling!
There are so many others to list, but hopefully this is a good starting point. If you need support on a specific event, the team at LEWIS are experienced in all aspects of trade show PR and marketing. In fact, we are working with clients right now in the build up to Mobile World Congress and CeBIT. Get in touch for more information on how we can help.
Are you working on trade show marketing at the moment? We’d love to hear your top tips, in the comments below, for making a brand’s attendance go with a bang!