Last week, PR NEWS reported on winning trade show strategies that have garnered publicity for corporate heavyweights. In part two of the story, we bring you tips from the
trenches. Editors from Selling to Kids (a PR NEWS sister publication) recently returned from the melee of the International Toy Fair in New York. They offer the following
observations to help you gain preferred status among reporters at your next show appearance:
Put press-savvy individuals on the floor. If your designated reps can't field basic questions, have no enthusiasm for the product or are prone to blunders, they should not be
on the show floor. Common sense, right? Evidently not. Lackluster representatives abound. One befuddled marketing exec responded to our compliments on an updated version of a
traditional set of jacks by saying, "I really think our competitor does it better. Theirs are just higher quality."
Provide logistical and background information in advance. Basic organizational skills are vital when you're dealing with dozens of appointments a day. A quick email or fax in
the days before the show - including detailed information on date, time and location of the appointment - can ensure press contacts are where you want them, when you want them.
Provide a way for reporters to contact you at the show, so you won't have to depend on voice mail or colleagues left behind in the office to keep abreast of scheduling changes.
Arm yourself with a cell phone, beeper or walkie-talkie.
We arrived for one appointment and were met by a sullen executive who announced he had changed the company policy and decided not to meet with any press during the show. After
we finished wondering why the company didn't want to talk to the press (were they hiding something?), we wondered why the PR rep hadn't touched base to cancel the appointment.
If you're not a major name, give reporters background information on what you have to offer so they can ask questions and tell you exactly what they want to see.
Give us instant gratification. Major announcements and the newest product offerings should be your first priority when talking to the press and walking us through your
showroom or booth.
Starting with the big stuff guarantees reporters will absorb your key messages first and sets an energetic tone for the rest of the presentation. Saving the best for last
leaves us wondering why we came for the first part of the meeting, and gives us less opportunity to generate questions about major announcements.
Just as you reach your dramatic grand finale, we may be looking for a polite way to duck out early.
Make it memorable - but not for the wrong reasons. Sure, we're shameless - celebrity appearances and glitzy entertainment always secure media mindshare. But if you don't have
the budget for star power, a clear, concise presentation of the facts, and a demonstration that involves the audience can work just as well. And please, please, spare us the
Hollywood wannabes dressed in bad costumes and spouting cheesy humor. Endless Digimon puns from one presentation still stick out in our minds - "Digi get it? Digi? Digi?" We
got it.
The same company's use of talented young athletes to demonstrate its newest jump rope and yo-yo products was refreshing, however, and the PR exec's enthusiastic, intelligent
preview of the presentations was much more informative than a script.
Give us something besides press releases to take back to the office. One idea we loved: A press kit on CD-ROM. It's a whole lot easier to haul than the bulging folders we got
everywhere else. And it contains more information.
At a trade show, success is all in the details. Minor aspects of your interaction with the press, like a new approach to hand-out materials or a particularly responsive tour
guide are just the kind of simple, intelligent, effective tools that will go a long way toward separating your product from the competition.
(Peggy Stuntz, editor, Selling to Kids, 301/340-7788, x2380)