Your Pre-exhibition Campaign

YOUR PRE-EXHIBITION CAMPAIGN

This is an absolutely vital part of your exhibiting effort. Whilst the event organiser is responsible for marketing the Exhibition, you are still entirely responsible for the quality and volume of traffic to your stand. There is a great deal that you can do to make this happen.

1. Invite people

Don't wait for people to think about coming to you, send personal invitations to your show. Here's where you start telling your story... make the invitation look and sound so good, (the story engaging enough) so that no one will want to turn it down.

• Look through the event registration list and select visitors that are your target audience
• Go through your database and invite existing customers
• Draw up a wish list of ‘we want to do business with you' clients - invite them all!

Make sure as many people as possible know about the event.

2. Generate Buzz

Set up a special landing page on your website dedicated to your presence at the show - include updates, schedules, a run up to the show/behind the scenes blog. Roll out more about your ‘story'. Post pictures of the team what will be at the stand - let people get familiar with their faces.

Publish a diary of meetings with your individual team members that people can sign up to online. (Follow these up with confirmation phone calls closer the time)

Get eye catching stickers made with words to the effect, ‘we'll be at  (name of the show) on (dates and stand number). See you there.' Sick these on any mail or packages that get despatched from your office.

Add a tag to all regular correspondence, quotes, invoices, letters and emails letting people know about the exhibition - and your location at the venue (stand number).

Run a countdown to the exhibition campaign on your facebook page/other social marketing platforms.

Get the URL of the show on all your standard emails and correspondence.

Contact the local/national media about your show. Letting them know ‘your story'.

Do a charity tie-in. Give x to a particular cause for every person that visits the stand and signs up to your newsletter.

3. Incentivise

Run a direct mail postcard campaign to publicise a special price purchases only available at the show.

Segment your efforts drawing out different sectors by offering different packages on different days

Get a deal with the organiser for half price tickets to the show that you can pass on to prospects.

Publicise the fact you will be giving the first 100 visitors to the stand each day a gift. Create urgency - get people to visit your stand first - when they are still fresh and have not been bombarded with other information.

Stretch your imagination to the limit in trying to think and source exciting and ‘different' giveaways. Give people a gift they wont forget. No one needs another branded pen or a cheap key ring... (more ideas about this later).

4. Pick up the phone

Make appointments with specific clients with a specific agenda. Remember business buyers will be planning their trade show agenda well in advance.

Make a follow up call to confirm the appointment a few days before the event. It is believed that people need around 7 exposures to the same sales information before they take action... surveys have shown that calling up to confirm appointments at a trade show significantly increases the numbers of people showing up.

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