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Wow…it’s been a confusing couple of years where we have been restricted across the world. We know we are still getting around all of our personal feelings about that, but in the meantime, the world is opening back up for in-person events, with many events having hybrid options for those that are still not comfortable with going full frontal with their customers, clients or partners. Hey, this is all understandable so here’s a quick guide on navigating events as we dive into a New Year.
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Create a show plan, in advance – If you’ve made the decision and investment to participate in an event. Make the most of it. Plan out your pre-marketing, schedule and post-marketing early. This includes your PR. Did you know that when you go to events, most media schedule their events in advance of the show? Make sure you are grabbing the media list if you’re an exhibitor. If you’re not, you can usually request the previous year’s media list to get an idea of attendance.
*NOTE* – media has a high turnover rate, so most people are not always in the same role in the next year, make sure you do your research.
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Have options for both virtual and in-person meetings – Don’t isolate your audience(s), create opportunities for both virtual and in-person meetings. You may find that some folks will be fine with meeting face to face, while others are still not ready to come out of Zoom Doom. Have someone working the Zoom interface and have another spokesperson in the “real world”.
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Share digital assets in advance – Prepare your marketing materials and press kits in advance, maybe when you’re doing your planning. What do you want to have folks take away from your booth? What do you think they will need to make an informed decision?
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Create shorter but more personalized engagements – The key to any email marketing campaign is to captivate your audience, same goes when networking and managing media. Do a little research and create more personalized communications with the folks that you REALLY want to connect with. I will say that the last year has created a new bond in our generation that will be different than with the future, so connecting regarding well-being, family and health is something that we have seen resonate across any communication, no matter what the case. The pandemic has affected all of us in some way, shape, or form.
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Have a follow-up plan – Traditionally reserved for email marketers, having an effective follow-up plan can mean the difference between media coverage and no coverage when it comes to PR and client vs no client when it comes to business. Either way, it’s an essential part of following up.