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Additional resources

Trade Show Promotion: Getting Media Coverage at Trade Shows

Trade shows can be a golden opportunity for your company to get media coverage. You don´t have to be the biggest or the best company to get publicity, though that doesn´t hurt. You do have to be topical, different, informative and available. Find a way to emphasize any of those things, and your chances of grabbing coverage for your trade show promotion will rise.

To begin your trade show promotion activities, you first need to identify the relevant trade media that cover your industry. If you haven´t contacted them before, this is a good opportunity to make the initial call or send a letter with some background information about your company, your products, and what you´ll be doing at the trade show. Because most trade publications have lead times ranging from several weeks to up to six months, it is important for your trade show promotion that you make contact as early as possible. Give other media, like daily and weekly newspapers, at least several weeks notice.

One terrific trade show promotion tactic is to try to schedule a new product introduction, update or other announcement to coincide with the trade show. If you prepare a news release to distribute at the trade show, make it do double duty by distributing it to your prospects too. If possible, coordinate your trade show promotion and publicity efforts with the public relations efforts of the show´s organizers. Find out if your company´s media materials can be included in a press kit distributed by the show´s organizers.

Many shows are connected with trade publications, which usually print a preshow edition. Check on advertising opportunities in the trade show edition of the host publication -- and make sure the editors know about any news you´ll be making at the show. And don't forget to use your own resources for your trade show promotion. Promote your booth on your Web site and consider banner ads for a short time on the sponsoring organization´s Web site or online magazine. There should be a press room onsite at the trade show where you can schedule a press conference to make announcements. Other companies will stock the press room with press kits. You should do the same.

Local or regional ties to the trade show can be another trade show promotion tactic, and a great means to set your company apart from the competition. Did any of your executives graduate from a local college or university? Did they grow up in the area or have they worked there? A local angle is sometimes all it takes to get the local media´s attention.

Weekly newspapers and business magazines are good trade show promotion media targets. Even small newspapers have business reporters who could write about your company. Larger papers have reporters who cover specific businesses, industries or groups of industries. Find out who they are and contact them before the trade show to let them know about your participation.

Your trade show promotion strategy might also target Internet publications; they are another opportunity to spread the word about your company. Your trade show contact, trade association or industry group might be able to help pinpoint online publications that plan coverage of the trade show.

And don´t forget local television and radio, especially if you have a visually interesting product or if you can tie it in to something topical. Your first contact should be to the station´s news editors, who are generally in charge of making assignments for reporters. Most television stations and many newspapers have Web sites that tell you how to make contact.

Each year millions of people attend corporate trade shows and exhibitions in search of new products and services that will improve their personal and business lives. Fierce competition forces companies both large and small to spend thousands of dollars on displays and booths that will attract prospective clients. Incorporating a magician into your trade show promotion is the perfect way to both draw and maintain a crowd of visitors at your booth above all others.

When a company incorporates a little magic into their trade show promotion they are including a subtle, understated form of promotion. While delegates are sure to remember the illusions and hover around your booth to see what will occur next, they are unlikely to realize the deeper impact that you are having on them as consumers, After all – they are being entertained, not sold to, at this point.

When you contract a magician, not only can you ask them to perform eye catching tricks and illusions to attract attention, but you can arrange with them to undertake a customized program of activities that also incorporates information about your products and services. This makes for a great trade show promotion. This kind of customized presentation highlights the features and benefits of your product, and is a clever way of incorporating what could be a boring multimedia presentation on some booths, into an entertaining interactive activity at your booth.

A trade show magician can take the time to explain your company message and display your product or service to a captive audience. They can take the time because the visitors hovering around your booth will be enjoying themselves and won’t be in a hurry to escape from you – unlike other booths with high pressure sales pitches – your crowd will want to stay for as long as possible.

Trade Show Promotion: Generating PR for Your Trade Show Visit

A well-thought-out publicity approach to a trade show can yield thousands of dollars in free advertising as print space or airtime. Plan your event with publicity in mind, seek media sponsorships, create helpful media kits, make it easy for the media to cover the event and brainstorm story ideas.

Successful publicity-driven companies start their PR planning weeks—and sometimes even months—in advance. Part of this planning involves establishing relationships with the media that cover trade shows. Sending private invitations to your booth can sometimes set you apart from the other exhibitors. Usually all trade shows have media staff or a PR contact. An important element of your PR planning should be to find out from them who'll be covering what. Ask them for specific names and find out which print media, broadcast media or online sites they represent.

It's also good to search out any story angles the trade show PR staff might be pitching. This shows a good sense of cooperation on your part and saves you the embarrassment of potentially pitching a similar story angle. If one of their angles is compatible with your company, product or service, you can hitchhike on their PR efforts. Contributing newsworthy information works with them as well as other media.

Without question, you must prepare a press release to announce your exhibit. Once again, a newsworthy angle is all editors think about here. You must be different and unique. You must give editors and producers specific reasons why they should visit you over all the other hundreds of exhibitors. Maybe you have a new product to announce, a new member of the management team to introduce or a position that you are taking on an industry issue. These are all newsworthy topics that have a good chance of getting media attention.

Another release idea is announcing that a particular expert from the company will be available for media interviews. Say something like, "Mr. Jones will be available from 2 to 4 p.m. on the first day of the show to explain the methodology used in his research. A FAQ sheet will be available for select media as well as a press kit containing all bio and company information." This indicates to the media that you are well prepared, have selected them out and are ready to help contribute to their publication or broadcast.

Pre- Trade Show Promotion:

Promote, Promote, Promote! Take control! Don’t leave your success to chance. A profitable exhibition experience depends on the trade show promotion you do before the trade show to assure your clients and prospects come to you.

The first step in your trade show promotion is to identify the audience you want to reach, then bring them to your trade show exhibit. Develop a focused and creative approach to attracting attendees.

Statistics prove attendees come to an exhibition with a set agenda of trade show exhibits to visit. Your pre- trade show promotion activity can get you on that list.

Exposition attendees respond to invitations offering compelling reasons why they should visit a particular trade show exhibit. The invitation can be in many forms, direct mail, telemarketing, advertising trade show promotion, just as long as it provides meaningful information (a little creativity helps, too).

Here are some ideas on how to get your invitation out to your target audience:

• Advertise in trade journals;
• Advertise in the advance show program;
• Add a tag line to all your advertising with the trade show name and your trade show booth number;
• Issue press releases announcing new products and services, key people attending the trade show, and special trade show promotions;
• Hire a celebrity to be at your trade show booth and promote, promote, promote;
• Provide complimentary registration forms to your clients and prospects;
• Mail “personal” invitations two weeks before the trade show and include VIP cards for access to your hospitality suite or lounge;
• Change your postage meter to announce the trade show;
• Mail out cards redeemable for a gift in the trade show exhibit;
• Put stickers promoting the trade show on all company correspondence, including faxes;

Trade Show Promotion – use a magician  

Trade shows are one of the best promotional mechanisms for spreading your marketing message to potential and current customers. Unlike any other form of media, trade shows allow you to pitch your product or service directly to your target audience and because your message is only being delivered to people who are interested in your products, the cost per lead is actually quite low in comparison to other forms of marketing such as blanket advertising or letterbox drops

There are things you can do to remain high impact at any show. For instance, a crucial component to trade shows is the promotional item. Promotional items that display your logo or branding message beyond the trade show floor are ideal because people ca take the item away with them with a chance that they might well use it long after you have packed up your booth and returned to the office.

There are literally hundreds of trade show promotional items that you can customize to fit your company's needs – such as giveaways, magicians and entertainers at the booth, a competition and discounts or free samples. Selecting the right promotional activity for you largely depends on the type of business you have. For instance, if you are a law firm it is probably not appropriate for you to be giving away free alcohol with every purchase. Nor would it be the ideal promotion for a toy shop to be giving away a free trip to Cancun for over 18s.

But once you know that you want to use promotional activities to supplement your booth then the fun is in the choosing of the activities. Some exhibitors choose a theme for their display and use a promotional activity to link in with that – such as a magic or Mexican, while other chose simple to use giveaways such as t-shirts or pens and balloons.

Promotional activities can have enormous benefits. In addition to generating substantial booth traffic, your promotional items will continue to market your company, long after the attendees have gone home and the show floor is closed. If you find something that works well, stay with it. You'll be surprised at how many attendees look forward to and will actually ‘hang out’ at your booth because of it.

But remember, while promotional activities will enhance booth traffic at your next exhibition, it is entirely up to you to sell your company. Trade show promotions are merely a device used to generate an interest! 

Disclaimer: The information provided on this website is for general discussion of matters of interest only. The owners of this site do not represent that the information contained herein is accurate, verified, current, comprehensive, or complete. For this reason, you should neither rely nor act upon any of the information contained in these pages and, if you do so, it will be entirely at your own risk. In no event will the owners of this site, their related partnerships or corporations, or the partners, agents or employees thereof be liable to you or anyone else for any decision made or action taken in reliance on the information in this site.

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