{"id":4165,"date":"2015-04-27T15:49:38","date_gmt":"2015-04-27T15:49:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/?p=4165"},"modified":"2019-09-09T18:32:17","modified_gmt":"2019-09-09T18:32:17","slug":"exhibitor-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/exhibitor-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"Make Your Exhibitor Marketing Campaign a Success"},"content":{"rendered":"

When thinking about marketing events, many associations focus the majority of their time and efforts on attendee marketing. After all, registration fees make up a significant slice of many associations\u2019 non-dues revenue pie. However, if your event or workshop includes a trade show floor, exhibitor marketing should be in your event plans from the start.<\/p>\n

Give yourself plenty of time to plan<\/h2>\n
\"Start<\/a>
Start on your exhibitor marketing plan at least a year in advance.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Marketing your trade show to exhibitor prospects shouldn’t start a month or two before your event – it should start 6 to 12 months in advance. In fact, some of our clients get a large percentage of their exhibitors to renew for the following year with on-site registration at the current year’s show.<\/p>\n

At Naylor’s AMD Group, we start planning the exhibitor outreach for clients\u2019 future shows 13 months ahead of time: about a month before the first show even starts! We aim to have a new concept and marketing plan started a full year in advance. This gives us appropriate time to measure\/research what worked and didn\u2019t work in the previous year. Plenty of time is needed to conduct quantitative and qualitative surveys, meet with large clients to gain their detailed feedback, share our insights with the association client, and reach a consensus on appropriate changes for the next show.<\/p>\n

In short, we give ourselves plenty of time to thoroughly research the needs of exhibitors and strategize for making future improvements to a trade show experience.
\n\"Tweetables\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Give yourself at least one year to create and execute an exhibitor marketing plan.\u00a0\"LilTweetablesSmall\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Allocate sufficient funds for your exhibitor marketing plan. Think of the cost as an investment in your show, and the non-dues revenue you\u2019ll earn as the payoff.\u00a0\"LilTweetablesSmall\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Create written schedules that will help your staff track needed tasks and progress toward exhibitor goals.\u00a0\"LilTweetablesSmall\"<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Allocate sufficient funds for your exhibitor marketing<\/h2>\n

You can\u2019t expect to expand your reach, increase marketing efforts and reach new prospects without allocating the appropriate funds.<\/p>\n

While your staff may be constrained by bylaws or other rules dictating funds available for events and event marketing, consider this: You must spend money to make money. The more exhibitors you can reach, the more who enlist to exhibit at your show, the more you invest in making their marketing\/selling experience a satisfactory one (this bleeds into taking steps to ensure attendee satisfaction), the more likely exhibitors will return to your trade show next year \u2013 and recommend your event to other potential exhibitors \u2013 and the more non-dues revenue your association has the potential to collect.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the circle of life, trade show-style.<\/p>\n

Not every marketing strategy or tactic incurs a high cost. Some marketing tools that are free or low-cost include:<\/p>\n