Fresh eyes

Five tips to maximise your presence at a major industry event

Paul Tustin Client Director PR & Comms Headshot

Published by Paul Tustin,
PR & Communications Director at Freshfield

Throughout the annual marketing calendar, there are some industry events that are marked ‘must attend’.

Even if you decide not to exhibit, a well thought out event attendance strategy can heighten brand visibility and build new relationships with your target audience.

We have years of advising and delivering activity at major events on behalf of our clients. Here are our top five tips to help you plan a successful outcome.

1. Research the event and attendees

Even if you are thinking of attending rather than exhibiting, clarify whether the proposed event is relevant. Be clear about what you want out of it and what resource would be required.

Consider any experience your team may have of this event previously, how successful was it last time it was held, and who will be attending.

In thinking about why you would attend, look at the sponsors, the delegate list, the subjects being covered in presentations and what you want to communicate.

Once you have conducted this exercise, you will find the planning and delivery of activity much clearer and more efficient.

2. Create a relationship plan for the event

Consider who will be responsible for which roles and relationships in the planning of the event and at the event itself.

Think about relationships with the media that can be developed, who will meet existing and new partners at the event and who will liaise with the event organisers to make sure you are aware of all opportunities.

Draw up a schedule and consider pre-arranging briefings with the media and updates with customers, prospective customers, and other attendees to make the most of your time.

A short briefing is often welcome as a break for many of those exhibiting and a constructive way of developing relationships in an informal setting.

3. Tie in a major news announcement

As a technique for making impact, plan a major announcement such as the launch of a new product, service, or a major appointment as a timely piece of news.

The content of a news announcement can be created and approved internally in advance, issued to journalists on the day of the event and placed in the Media Centre

Simultaneously, the news can be posted on social media and your own website to ensure all channels are covered with a set of consistent messages.

We recently had considerable success in running two major news announcements at a leading international event on behalf of a client. All content was approved by the client and their partners ahead of the event, so we were able to publish on the day, generating lots of positive engagement and leading to some new enquiries.

4. Create a content and social plan

Leading up to the event, consider creating and publishing some content as to why you are attending, and share your views on the latest industry issues. Likewise, you may glean some latest trends from the event through seminars and conversations, another opportunity to create and publish some thought leadership content after the event.

For the team that is attending, there will be a plethora of good LinkedIn publishing opportunities. Try and gather photos of your team with key influencers and add your own commentary to some of the seminars and fringe events taking place. Don’t go overkill here, this is about demonstrating your credentials in a key sector not creating unnecessary noise.

5. Follow-up

As part of the exercise, ensure you create a document to track and measure activity including social media analytics, details of those contacts you meet and how the media covers your news.

Also make a note of any immediate follow up actions and or those relationships you wish to develop over the longer term.

This will give you a wider strategic picture of outcomes, what worked and any learnings to take forward when considering future events of this kind.

Follow Paul on LinkedIn here linkedin.com/in/pt22a.

If you need advice about planning your event please complete our online form https://www.freshfield.com/contact/ and one of our team will be in touch.

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