PR-101: Use Trade Shows to Attract Media

PR-101: Use Trade Shows to Attract Media is an informative article with tips to turn your conference attendance into positive press.
Ah, springtime. The sounds of birds, the smell of flowering fauna, getting outdoors, and of course
tradeshows. The month of May is H-U-G-E all across the country and especially here in the
Southeast with regard to its popularity with industry organizations hosting conferences and
special events. For many businesses, this is the time to strike for business development before
the summer slowdown.
If you’ve taken the important step of participating in one of these conferences as either an exhibitor or attendee to build your company profile with prospects, investing substantial time and money along the way, you likely want to do everything you can to get the most out or your efforts. Used correctly, conferences can be a free ticket to media coverage of your company. Be sure to leverage your hard work and noteworthy participation to keep yourself in front of your target audience by making a serious commitment to doing some public relations outreach before, during, and after these events to maximize your return on investment -- it's not hard and it's not expensive.
• Find out who is covering the event. Get a comprehensive list of relevant online and print
publications, radio and TV outlets, and industry experts from conference management.
Generally, industry organizations hosting conferences have a list of pre-registered media outlets,
as reporters and editors sign up in advance to get credentialed (so they don’t have to pay to
attend, as long as they are covering the event for their media outlet). Make sure the list includes
reporters' names and contact information, and take a quick glance at some of their work on their
publication’s website to get a feel for their type of reporting. You may actually find some reporters you will want to avoid, depending upon their style and approach to investigative journalism as opposed to feature writing.
• Draft your core messaging. Clarify what exactly you are trying to say about your company
into a central theme, then support it with three-to-five sub-themes. Type these up on a sheet of
paper or even index cards to reference when you’re talking with a reporter on the phone or in-person; touch-on each theme several times during your conversation when possible. Make sure
the messaging you are delivering at the tradeshow is reinforced by content on your website.
Check all your links and make sure you have updated contact information online.
• Develop a basic press kit. This includes a one-sided, one-page company background
incorporating your core messaging as well as mission statement, company history, and
bios/photos of key leadership; a product sheet with details on your products/services, including
awards, press coverage and sales figures; and a cover letter describing why you are attending
the conference and who media should contact to get more info. If you have a recent press
release, include that as well.
• Publish your press kit. Print multiple copies and post an electronic version online. Deliver
several copies of your press kit to event management for distribution to media, and keep other
copies at your exhibit space.
• Email and call event media contacts. Offer yourself as a resource about your industry or the
event itself, clearly explaining what your company does in a concise, informative manner. Do this
before the event, and plan on following-up during and after the event as well. Provide your exhibit
hall location and your contact information. If you have a new product/service you are going to
unveil at the event, be sure to mention it.
• Attend workshops and panel discussions. Stand up and ask questions during Q&A,
identifying yourself and your company, explaining briefly what it is you do. Scan the room for
media (cameras, people taking notes, using recorders, talking with presenters afterward), wait by
the door and catch them as they leave. Introduce yourself, ask them for their business card and
give them one of yours, explaining that you're available to offer insight into the topic at hand and inviting them to your booth.
• Draft a post-event press release on your company's participation. Describe some of the
topics covered during workshops relevant to your company and highlight what your company was
exhibiting. Distribute the release to any reporters you met at the event; the media list you secured from show management; and your standard industry and local media distribution list. Be sure to post a copy of your press release on your website. Repurpose the content into a "state-of-theindustry" report to showcase your thought leadership; distribute this content in a customer
newsletter and record it as a podcast (which can generate a press release of its own).
• Track post-event coverage. Based on your list of media outlets covering the event, monitor
websites and print publications that may include articles on the trade show/conference. Search
for mention of competitors to find possible differentiators to market to prospects and customers,
and identify key themes in articles that relate to your specific field of expertise. Contact the
bylined authors of these articles with a comment about the piece and a line about your
company's focus, along with a link to your website and offer to answer any questions he/she may
have. If your company is included in this coverage, craft messaging and produce marketing
materials related to the article and publication and get them to your target audience(s) as soon as
possible, and be sure to place a link on your website to an online version of the article (get
permission first from the media outlet).
Regardless of whether or not tradeshow media decide to feature you in their on-site reporting, by
actively engaging in proactive public relations before, during, and after the event you will have
networked with influential individuals who you can now use in building a database for ongoing
press release distribution. By sharing your core messaging and interacting with these reporters,
they will have a baseline understanding of who you are and what you have to offer, making it all
the more palatable to do a positive story on you down the road enhancing your reputation with
their tens of thousands of readers who are your prospective customers.
- David D. Menzies is President of Menzies Consulting, Inc.

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