Pre-Show Promotion

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

First, identify the audience you want to reach, then bring them to your exhibit. Develop a focused and creative approach to attracting attendees.

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

Exposition attendees respond to invitations offering compelling reasons why they should visit a particular exhibit. The invitation can be in many forms, direct mail, telemarketing, advertising 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 show name and your booth number;
• Issue press releases announcing new products and services, key people attending the show, and special show promotions;
• Hire a celebrity to be at your booth and promote, promote, promote;
• Provide complimentary registration forms to your clients and prospects;
• Mail "personal" invitations two weeks before the show and include VIP cards for access to your hospitality suite or lounge;
• Change your postage meter to announce the show;
• Mail out cards redeemable for a gift in the exhibit;
• Put stickers promoting the show on all company correspondence, including faxes;
• Make telephone calls to your key prospects just prior to the show.