There are two types of businesses that walk away at the end of an event, one that has success onsite, and one that has success onsite and walks away with over six months worth of content to continue that momentum.
It starts with utilising the existing stand effectively and Part 1 of this blog has all these answers.
Part two turns to the people onsite, and how a business can utilise their presence to their utmost advantage.
STEP 2: THE PEOPLE.
Get the family chart out, because you won’t want to forget to invite anyone. Step two is like looking at a family tree.
THE IMMEDIATE FAMILY: The staff members.
Onsite often means key personnel from the team are available, looking smart and ready to talk. Companies should make it their mission to meet the team. Ahead of going onsite organise who will be on the stand each day, their role and beneficial information that the community would later like to know. Organise an interview list and take time to sit down together (preferably in front of that wall we mentioned earlier).
Alongside speaking with staff members companies can look to interview managers to gain insight on the impact they have onsite in addition to the company holistically. With this content, a week to week series can be created to meet the team. Consideration should be given to how the content would be used afterward, whether snippets will be blended to create longer content pieces, or whether they should be kept short for social purposes. Strong planning will allow for content to be adaptable so that it can be repurposed to suit different requirements.
THE EXTENDED FAMILY: Key company contacts.
Depending on the style of event, companies can feature industry contacts on their stand as a keynote speaker or presenter. Should the event be suitable consideration should be given to the timing and subject of invited guests to help support the creation of future content. The type of presentations that can be later utilised for ongoing content include:
- Panel discussions on key industry topics
- Speaking sessions on launch products
- Keynote speakers within the industry
- Round table discussions
To help drive awareness about the speaking opportunities, companies should look to include their presenters in pre-event marketing. In turn companies will receive higher attendance and engagement in the presentation, which can later feed into the recorded content.
Companies can also look to customers whilst on site as they can be highlighly valuable for testimonial content. Organise a time to sit down with past customers to understand their experience with the product or service and your business. Their experience and knowledge bank will then become a resource for case studies. Case studies create the opportunity to showcase quantitative results from within the industry. Although this content may be written post-event, use the exhibition or event as a research platform to obtain all pieces of information to commence writing afterward.
DISTANT RELATIVES: Industry Contacts
Exhibitions and events are the perfect opportunity to reach out to contacts who are not typically available to liaise with. Often events will draw in industry leaders and potentially influencers. Ensure ahead of coming onsite the company is aware of any special guests attending the event and plan accordingly for the conversation to be had. In the instance of influencers, this is a strong opportunity to gain further reach from their following or speak to the opportunity of collaborations.
FUTURE GENERATIONS: Virtual Audiences.
Whilst onsite companies should also consider live stream content. Live streaming is the virtual broadcasting of content including the aforementioned interviews, panels and demonstrations to either a website or video platform. This format can also tap into social media platforms creating more engagement and awareness throughout the event, and presents the opportunity for saving and storing content ready for on-demand viewing or resharing. In the case of Facebook Live’s, the video can be shared immediately to the Facebook feed and pinned to the top of the page. On Instagram the Live can be downloaded or re-shared when required and stored in an archive until timing permits.
When broken down it’s incredible the number of resources a business can tap into whilst being onsite. It puts networking into a different light, and creates countless opportunities. With the physical element of the stand considered, a virtual element is next in line to create an impact.
