event MANAGEMENT
DIGITAL SIGNAGE is a recent phenomenon that adds tremendous visual appeal to trade show booths. Overhead panels, curved walls, and freestanding kiosks are just a few of the elements that can drive considerable traffic into a company’s exhibit.
Whenever your company is attending a trade show or conference, don’t just concentrate on staffing your exhibit. Take advantage of the myriad of marketing opportunities that present themselves:
A SECOND STORY adds not only private meeting space but also enables your company to stand out among competitors.
Create more buzz around your booth by integrating digital signage into your booth design – Digital signage can add splashes of color, welcome messages, maps, photos, and video content to a company’s exhibit. They can help the company to stand out or even dominate at a trade show or conference.
Conduct live video interviews from the show floor – Interview members of the management team, subject matter experts, customers, and partners from the show floor. The whole “live” aspect bakes a certain amount of excitement into the video footage and gives people the impression that lots of activity is taking place around your company.
Conduct “man on the street” interviews with the people visiting your event or booth – Why are they there? What business problem are they trying to solve? What are their initial impressions about your company? This is some great fodder for your marketing team.
Take advantage of speaking opportunities – Have a charismatic speaker in your corner? See if show management will add them to the conference program. This can generate additional visibility for your company as well as establish your business as a thought leader.
LIVE PRESENTATIONS held in the booth tend to draw in an audience, even at heavily populated shows.
Take photos of everything – The activity in your booth. How the exhibit looks. Traffic in the aisles. If one of your execs, partners, or customers is speaking at the event, be sure to capture them. Photos capture the buzz that is taking place around your company.
Do social media messaging from the show floor – You’ve invested time, money, and resources into being at this particular event. So make sure that the world knows you’re there and that a lot is happening.
Invite editors and analysts to visit your exhibit – Perhaps an analyst is booked to speak at your event. Make sure they know you are going to be there and that they are welcome to drop by your booth and meet some of the key players in your company. Ditto with the press. Make sure they know you are in town. Offer them a look at your new product. Or an interview with a member of the management team. Personal invitations go a long way, and meeting analysts and editors face to face is a very good thing.
Capture live presentations on video – Are you doing some kind of live presentation or product demonstration in the booth? Capture it on video – you’ll find countless ways to use it after the fact.
Offer your photos and video assets to show management – It’s always a good idea to build a relationship with show management. Let them know that you’re taking extensive photos and shooting video in your booth. Perhaps they are going to produce some kind of overview and want to include some of your company’s footage. That could be some free publicity.
The bottom line is that trade shows present significant opportunities to showcase your company, build your brand, and establish thought leadership. Be sure to have a seasoned Marketing VP or Director working your booth who can to capitalize on these opportunities.