When you exhibit at a trade show, you’re going to have many different opportunities to reach out to the media-opportunities that don’t present themselves in the day-to-day activities of your company or organization. As with any other aspect of trade show exhibiting, you need to research these opportunities prior to the show, create a plan that will best utilize these opportunities, and budget for these media-related expenses – your goal is to get as much leverage out of your investment in the show and the trade show displays required as possible.
First of all, you need to know which media representatives are going to attend the show and when they’ll be available. The show’s producers should make a media list available to you, and you want to access that list as early as you possibly can. However, don’t assume that the first draft of the list is the last and final draft. Continue to check for updates and make note of who’s been added as the show date approaches. Keep in mind that those media representatives who are added late will probably have fewer commitments than those who have been on the list from the beginning.
Once you have the list of media representatives who will be attending the trade show, you need to begin contacting them to request meetings with you or your company’s designated public relations representative at the show itself. Remember that these representatives are going to be inundated with requests for meetings. They will make time to meet with you if you can give them a compelling reason to do so-new research, new industry trends, etc. A new product or service is not always a guarantee that you’ll get the meetings you want.
If you have a new product or service that you’re featuring at the trade show, or have invested in a custom trade show display illustrating your new products, then reviews of that product or service by members of the media should be one of your goals. If possible, provide the media representatives with samples of your product or access to your service in advance of the show. Your goal at the show, then, would be to set up a meeting with the representatives to discuss their evaluations of your new offering. If it isn’t possible to provide the media with advance samples, then your goal will be to have them review the offering during the show. If you have a well-established client who is willing to praise your product or service to the media, or if you’ve won an award for it, make sure the media representatives know about this too.
If the news your company has to share with the media is so important that you are unable to meet individually with all of the representatives you’d like to, then you might consider holding a press conference to disperse your information. However, you want to keep in mind that one-on-one meetings are more personal and help you build relationships with media representatives that you will likely see again and again at future trade shows. Speaking individually to the media allows you to shape your comments in a way that will appeal to each representative’s particular audience. There are times that press conferences are necessary and advantageous, but they have their limitations too.
Once you’ve committed to exhibiting at a trade show, you’ve also committed to getting as much exposure from the show as you possibly can – that’s the only sure way to leverage your investment in the show itself, and in the trade show displays for the show. There will be many media representatives present at each show you attend. Preparation before the show for meeting with the media will help you make the most of this opportunity.