How the New York Trade Show Exhibit Industry was Reborn
By their very nature, trade shows have always been social. Trade show displays in New York bring people together to mingle, to learn, to conduct business. But circa 2001, the trade show industry began to flatline due to the dramatic slowdown of the economy and its negative effects on business travel.
But in true biblical fashion, the heavens opened and the universe breathed new life into the trade show and events industry by giving us social media. Yes, folks, it is truly that dramatic. The game has changed and it’s exciting and wondrous. Social Life is Good. And the good times for trade show attendees, exhibitors and organizers are just beginning.
Today, our behavior for sharing news, information, experiences and “Likes” occurs in a historically new way. The 2012 social technology landscape allows everyone to be a participant, an influencer, a student, and an advocate. Each of us can be a driving force to shift any given cultural revolution. It is all happening before our very eyes.
By applying social media tactics to traditional trade show booths, New York marketing companies can reach and engage greater audiences, extend their brand, and build valuable relationships with people who matter.
So, in the spirit of getting-in-the-game, here are some immediately usable, specific actions you can take to inject the “social” into your trade show program.
If your company doesn’t have a Twitter account, create one now. If that’s not possible, create one and become the voice of your company’s Events Team.
- Project a live Twitter feed in your booth visible to passersby using the trade show hash tag and your company hash tag. That way, everyone can “listen in” on the conversation, live.
- Tell your followers why they should stop by your booth. Are you holding a drawing or give-away? Will there be a live presentation? You’ll be surprised to see a crowd forming just by promoting it on Twitter to folks already at the show. In fact, if you set a timing deadline, like “the first 25 people will get a free gift,” they’ll visit sooner and not later.
- Get a spontaneous party started with an impromptu Tweet-up – break bread, have a cocktail, network with like-minded professionals.
- Contact the show organizer to find out what social media efforts they’re planning and coordinate your efforts with theirs. Use their hash tags, promote their offerings
- Involve your fans with the on-site haps. Assign a Community Manager to post status updates, photos and videos throughout the trade show event.
- Get people to interact with your posts to generate more sharing. When your fans share (Like, Check-In, Answer Surveys, Comment), they are exposing your post to their News Feed. The more sharing that occurs, the more people are exposed to your company. Every company wants to reach more of their best customers, and chances are the people that already Like you have a network of friends that would be inclined to Like you as well.
- Facebook allows direct message capability, so you can now send messages to your fans, connecting with them personally and increasing their regard for you. Invite fans to the show beforehand, and thank them for attending after tear down.
- Create pinboards featuring hot shots of all things related to your trade show and your booth, your give- away, the logo of the show, the crowd, a defining expression of the venue…a quote. To increase traffic to your website, be sure to pin directly from images on your site.
- Connecting with peers, colleagues and customers on LinkedIn can open up many doors that would have otherwise remained closed. Create an Event page on LinkedIn and expand your audience to new attendees interested in your product or service.
- LinkedIn is sometimes seen as the online version of a business networking group. But with LinkedIn, you get to actually seek out and connect with precisely the person or business you desire. Building a network of people to communicate to – who are interested in what you have to say – becomes yet another communications vehicle to grow and give meaning to your brand.
iPHONE CAMERA – STILL AND VIDEO
- Take pictures. Lots of pictures. Post them, tweet them, share them on your trade show web page. Pictures of the venue, the city or a panoramic picture of the trade show floor are great to look at. You can use them similar to the way you use the videos. Display a photo slide show at your booth. Take pictures behind the scenes. Photograph your colleagues in the booth mugging together, having fun, talking to attendees. Upload the new pics to your slideshow collages throughout the show.
- Record video highlights during your event. Product demo’s, customer comments and testimonials, and “selecting a winner” make for interesting footage. Post your photos to one of the major sites like Flickr, and post your videos to your custom channel on YouTube, Vimeo or one of the other major sites.
Your content will live forever. And when using the latest SEO techniques, your ever-growing archives will help improve your results rankings with search engines over time. As you experiment and grow, so will your audience & and so will your results for New York trade show booths
