This is the second half of a 2-part post on developing and deploying marketing communication plans and vehicles for your company’s upcoming exhibitions, tradeshows, and conferences. Part 2, below, discusses how to use established communications and exhibit-specific communications opportunities in an optimal and integrated fashion.
Ideally, long before your company’s actual participation at an exhibition, trade show, or conference, you will be using all available means of communications and engagement to share your exhibit commitment and messaging with your current audience. The next step is to evaluate and select exhibit-specific marketing communications opportunities.
The scope of such communications opportunities that are available or warranted will vary by event and event program. In some instances, an event–particularly a free-standing conference–might have only a small number of projected attendees and exhibitors, so sharing a company logo and description could be the only communications option. In other instances, when the number of attendees and exhibitors at an event will likely be substantial, the marketing opportunities available will be far more numerous.
Regardless of the number of event attendees or exhibitors anticipated, it’s good to keep in mind that you will probably be engaging with some individuals who might not yet be familiar with your organization or with the products and services it offers. Accordingly, when evaluating and selecting event promotions or sponsorships, you should ensure that they reflect positively on your company, are aligned with and suited to its offerings, and support its established goals and objectives.
A quick and simple way to assess and prioritize show-related marketing communication opportunities is to create a matrix, listing event-sponsored opportunities and associated costs along its top and your specific exhibit goals and overarching objectives along one of the sides. When examining the cells where each column and row intersect, ask yourself whether the opportunity in question supports your goals and objectives. If in fact it does, note to what degree (e.g., high, medium or low); if not, move on to and evaluate the next opportunity until you’ve completed filling in the entire matrix.
Once your review of marketing-communications opportunities is complete, compile a list of the selected opportunities to present to your management team for discussion. If you need additional insight or details prior to presenting these opportunities to the team, reach out to the event’s organizer. The organizer should be able to provide further information on event requirements or program details to facilitate your team’s review and evaluation.
As you deploy exhibit-specific marketing communications, make sure to share exhibit details and links as part of your on-going engagement and communications with your current customer base. Exhibition-oriented communications not only serve to reinforce your company’s customer and industry commitment, they can also increase your company’s product and brand awareness and positively influence new potential prospects, all of which are crucially important.
See also Part 1 of this article.
Sandy Cebulis, Exhibitions Marketing Practice Director— Gilbért, Flossmann & Zhang Worldwide, Naples, Florida
Contact GF&Z at solutions@globalmarcomm.com.