Event Planning is a Year-Round Activity
If all events happened in the second half of the calendar year, then it would be just fine to leave the decision about whether or not to attend to the last two months of the preceeding year. But events happen all year and it’s always a complete panic to get those Q1 events done because nobody really thought about them until two months prior when the budget was approved.
Marketers should be looking six to eight months out when it comes to events. You don’t need to do much about them at that point, but you should know which you are attending and you should be sticking that in your budget planning file. If you really want to attend the show, a good tactic to get past the Hand Wringers is to pre-pay your space this fiscal year, making it much more difficult to bail out later on. For more on picking events, check out this post.
Work the calendar
If you have a big product launch, there is no place better to do it than an event, especially a big event with lots of media and analysts. Have a look at events that are timed around your launch (or consider moving your launch closer to a big show – product management will love that one). Sometimes a big event you wouldn’t otherwise attend can be a great place to grab some nice attention. No product launch? Do you have some content you can release? Like research or an amazing customer story? Is this close to the time you announce quarterly or annual results? Can you get some executives to talk to about it?
Watch Out for Your Competitors
The people who sell space at trade shows are to be commended. It’s a tough gig and probably getting tougher as the Hand Wringers scrutinize marketing’s favourite money wasters. One of their favourite lines, particularly if they are pitching a new show is “well your competitors will be there…” Which, I have learned from bitter experience is complete BS. Usually the sales people have no idea who my competitors are. My strategy these days is to ask which competitors have signed up to exhibit. It’s amazing how quickly they back off from that one or invoke privacy. I do, however, spend time on my competition’s website watching their event pages to see if there is something I should be adding to my list.
And for Your Customers
If your customers are big players in a particular vertical of interest, you may want to exhibit at that industry’s big event to see if you can get more of the same. Another opportunity may be to co-present your solution at the conference with your customer or even to co-sponsor something with them like a hospitality suite.
Add One New Event Each Year
It’s very easy to get into a rut with events, particularly if you work in one or two verticals where the same events come and go each year. If at all possible, I recommend you find one new event, even a small one, to attend as an exhibitor each year. If you’re very vertically focused and have most things covered, maybe try an international event. Some events will attempt to blackmail you into sticking around by suggesting your booth will be by the toilets next year if you skip this one. That, of course, is complete twaddle and if it isn’t, do you really want to do business with these people?
Skip One Old Show Each Year
Another way to get a fresh perspective on things is to take a year off one of the events you’ve been doing for ages. In addition to putting an existential shot across the bow of the event organizers, it can help free up some budget to try a new event. You may just find you can get through the year without it. If your lack of participation is likely to cause some kind of industry implosion, you can always try scaling back your booth or sponsoring instead of exhibiting.
BizMarketer is written by Elizabeth Williams
I help companies have better conversations
Drop me a line at ewilliams@candlerchase.com
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Bizmarketer, pray tell, who are the handwringers?
Do I really have to explain? When they’re not wringing their hands, they’re nitpicking your contracts, whining about your opex and bothering your suppliers.