Peers

When I was at TS2, I met Nancy Trent and we immediately bonded (new Best Friend).  She is very gracious to provide us with relevant information about PR and the world of trade shows.  Her material is below:

Trade shows are where new products are launched, concepts are introduced, trends are found, sales and contacts are made, networking is fostered, and business is set in motion.  No matter what ends of the industry you’re in, exhibitors, attendees, sponsors, and partners can all benefit from being media-savvy.  Year-round publicity efforts can help trade show management companies increase awareness for each event, boost exhibitor and sponsor sales, promote sponsor and exhibitor loyalty, expand the audience and scope of the show, and can help build awareness for an entire industry.

Expos and conference are the best opportunities for face-to-face selling, buying, networking and advancing their business.  Here are PR tips for attendees:

Speak up! - Speaking opportunities are excellent publicity generators because they can enable you to obtain coverage among your peers and throughout the industry before, during and after your speech.

Make your trade show experience a social one – Most trade shows feature networking opportunities.  Whether conducted by the show or affiliated organizations, these events provide a great opportunity to make new contacts in a more relaxed setting.

Be a trade show advisor – Frequently, trade shows welcome the participation of retailers on their advisory boards.  Being on the board will provide you with the opportunity to expand your involvement and gain considerable visibility throughout the industry.

Trend Spotting- Be sure to set aside enough time for spotting the latest trends.  Each of us develops our own forecasting techniques.  We have our gurus who tell us what the general societal are and how they apply to our business.  Strolling up and down the aisles can give you a good idea on how those trends are being translated.

Mobilizing Merchandise PR – Most products and services have a PR and/or marketing person/agency behind them.  You need to learn how to get their share of this marketing potential.  Use the trade show as an opportunity to see how you can garner product PR to spur sales and employ PR as an incentive for employees, partners and clients, as well as generate or spot trends, and capitalize on them.

Exhibiting at trade shows brings new leads, the chance to meet up with clients and catch up with old contacts.  But in addition to sales and seminars, trade shows present many excellent publicity opportunities.  Here are five PR tips for exhibitors:

Don’t limit your time frame to the week of the trade show – Most trade shows are marketing to attendees year-round.  Contact the show organizers to find out how you can get involved in joint promotions with top spas and buyers across the country.   Always take advantage of pre-show marketing opportunities with the trade show.   Check if the show has a newsletter, or press releases they send out periodically, and see if you can get your product included.

Time your news announcement with the trade show – Schedule new product introductions or a corporate announcement in sync with the show and prepare news releases about your activities.  Contact trade magazines and daily newspapers with news about what you have planned for the event.  If you have a visually stimulating product or demonstrations consider contacting local TV stations.  Find out if the show is partnering with trade publications and be sure to target editors who will definitely be writing pre-show and post-show editions.  Obtain a copy of the pre-registered media list.   Send an informational letter, and try to arrange interviews for your spokesperson during the show.  Include your booth number and Web site in press materials so they know where to find you before, during and after the event.

Get involved in the show’s publicity efforts – Usually, trade shows have a press room.  Any exhibitor who doesn’t put materials in the press room is missing out on opportunities to obtain publicity.  Contact the trade show publicity office and ask if you can contribute information on new products and trends.  PR professionals are gathering information and insights for press materials and announcements to garner publicity for the show.  They will appreciate your input and can increase your exposure.

Decorate your booth with publicity – Getting publicity for your company and its products is important, but knowing how to use publicity as a sales tool is an important part of effective marketing public relations.  If your company was mentioned recently in an article, make sure it is visible at your booth, in the press room and even with your order sheets.  Everyone wants to be associated with people or products they read about in the press.  Publicity materials, such as article reprints, are especially useful as tools to help new or potential customers get to trust and know your company and your products.

Don’t forget to follow-up – Half of the reason you attend trade shows is for leads and potential business.  The same applies to future publicity.  It’s important to call or email editors you met at the show.  Ask whether they have any questions for you or how you can help with their post show articles.  Send a press kit consisting of press releases, facts and statistics, and bios of key team members.   Continue to keep them updated between trade shows about your company, and send them a flow of story ideas to write about.  Your goal is to become a resource for articles about the industry.

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About the author:

Nancy Trent is the founder and president of Trent & Company Marketing Communications.  Trent & Company is uniquely positioned as trade show experts. A former journalist for New York magazine, Nancy serves on the editorial boards of several industry magazines and travels around the world speaking at conferences and trade shows on marketing trends. She is a recognized expert in PR with more than 20 years of experience creating and managing highly successful campaigns.

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