The conference environment has change along with everything else in this technology centered marketing world. A decade ago, the conventions I ran for the American Payroll Association were recognized by Tradeshow Week as among the country's fastest growing shows in the category "over 1000 attendees."
That was then, this is now--most of those shows are gone. Most of
those associations are in trouble. And successful companies at convention
marketing are playing by new rules.
Public relations tracks tight at the trade show
This season, the Write2Market team has been on the road with a
number of Write2Market clients, going from IRCE in San Diego to Shop.org in
Boston for retail technology public relations clients, and going to energy
industry conferences like Offshore Technology in Houston, and Utilimetrics just
this last week in Washington, DC for energy
public relations outreach.
Technology PR seen from the show floor
Here's the hit list for what's working now in technology
public relations from a show floor perspective:
1) Relationships with the show management--from helping you get on
program committees that plan the next educational sessions to reconfiguring a
trade show hall to accommodate that cool putt-putt green your CEO can bring,
the association staff are more critical than ever to an "over the top"
experience. Make a point to network with them and their board.
2) A fast eye for a press badge. In the past, press
registered months in advance and planned editorial calendars around the experts
they would meet at conferences. Now, press--much of it self appointed from the
blogosphere--come the day of, or even the next day. Believe me, Fortune knows if
a contributing writer makes an appearance, they'll get in. So that leaves press
lists in poor shape, and press conferences often more useful as "ask the
executive team" opportunities--impromptu sessions--than traditional formal press
conferences. How do you spot the press? Keep your eyes peeled for those press
ribbons, and keep yourself glued to Twitter feeds where journalists like to
editorialize on fun session out-takes.
3)
Research.
When you're meeting your target market face to face, you have an unbelievable
opportunity to conduct actual research. Write2Market's PR technology team uses
online survey tools and our cellular-network-capable iPads to get real attendee
reactions. The resulting research polls provide snapshots of the
attendees' perspective AND press-worthy stories from the show. You should see
people's faces too--companies like our clients that commit to research get a lot
of respect. (No, we don't give stuff away for taking the survey--we show them
the results in real time and that sparks even cooler conversations.)
About
Write2Market
Write2Market is an Atlanta public relations agency making its reputation by creating recognizable industry leadership for B2B clients, particularly in technology PR, healthcare PR and energy PR. Empowered by our proprietary Triple A industry leadership methodology, we help companies get the national recognition they deserve through measurable successes with traditional and new media. Are you an unrecognized industry leader? See if our approach is right for you at http://www.write2market.com.About Write2Market
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