Trade Shows & Events

Companies use trade shows and events to generate leads, nurture prospects, build awareness, conduct training, and enhance relationships with existing customers and partners.

Event marketing and trade shows are often only one part of an integrated marketing campaign. Both before and after an event or trade show, companies need to use additional media such as email marketing, traditional media, Internet marketing, direct mail, telemarketing and public relations to generate interest and to follow up with attendees.

There’s an old saying in business that people buy from people. If that’s the case, it’s a good idea to get people together as often as possible. Trade shows and events are a great way to accomplish this.

Trade Show & Events Value

Most trade shows and events take careful planning with many details to address. It's best to create a strategy far in advance. Better yet, outline events in your marketing plan so you can build your pre-event and post-event campaigns effectively.

Different options include:

• Trade shows:  You can exhibit during the show, sponsor roundtable discussions or speeches, advertise in show materials and/or host your own reception at the event location or a nearby restaurant .
• Seminars or conferences:  Sponsor an industry conference or create a seminar and market it to prospects.
• Networking meetings:  Participate in and/or sponsor industry or local meetings.  You can also create a one-time or ongoing series of breakfasts or lunch meetings for prospects.
• Webinars:  Webinars are online seminars with slides and audio.  You can use them to generate leads and communicate with large groups at a much lower cost than a live meeting.
• Events for the arts, sports and charities:  You can participate in these types of events as a sponsor by purchasing advertising and blocks of tickets or by holding a reception for your VIPs.

With Growth Panel, you can determine if events and trade shows should be part of your annual marketing plan. Then you can design an entire integrated campaign to handle the pre-event marketing and the post-event follow-up and conversion.  When executed properly, a great trade show or event can produce a large percentage of the leads you need to generate over an entire year.

Trade Show & Event Tools in Growth Panel

• Conduct Event Brainstorming:  Generate ideas for the right types of events to meet various business goals.
• Determine an Event Strategy:  Develop an overarching event strategy. List specific goals, identify your target audience, and determine the format, the offer and the timing.
• Create an Event Execution Plan:  Define the timing, format, theme, fulfillment, tracking method and launch plan for an event. Create the measurement and conversion plan to ensure leads don’t fall through the cracks. Measure ROI at the conclusion.
  
  

You might benefit from trade shows & events if:

• You need to raise your brand profile within your market
• You’re not visible to key decision-makers in your market
• Relationships are critical at the front-end of your sales process
• You’re launching a new product or service