I noticed a recent spat of posts about tradeshows. Some discuss the value of participating in the show while others discuss the “emergence” of virtual tradeshows. At one point in my career, I had focused on conferences and speaking engagements – originally with Niehaus Ryan Wong’s Speakers Bureau and eventually starting the Conference Strategies for Blanc & Otus.
From a PR perspective, I view conferences as an opportunity to establish thought leadership and to increase a company’s awareness. However, it’s also important to understand how this fits within the marketing mix for organizations. Attending a show is not a small endeavor for a company. It’s costly, requires staff and must provide concrete results in the form of sales gold – the almighty sales lead. These folks have done a great job as discussing the value of tradeshows:
Disclosure – my company has developed online conferences and events and provide live and on-demand streaming webcasts into virtual tradeshows for organizations.
5 Comments
March 3, 2008 at 14:47
Trade shows can be very exhausting and you cannot always predict bountiful results for your businesses. However, it is an effective way of making and establishing connections. I haven’t heard of a virtual trade show yet but I imagine it operates similarly to Second Life. Guess I’d better read up on the links you shared!
March 3, 2008 at 16:25
The Value of Tradeshows « PR Meets Marketing
Article about the value of tradeshows – both live and online. Links to additional articles on the topic.
March 3, 2008 at 17:20
@Julie – Actually, virtual trade shows aren’t like Second Life, which seeks to facilitate interaction between people. I would say the word “virtual” is a misnomer in this case. It’s more of an online component of the show that seeks to complement the live show.
March 21, 2008 at 14:45
[...] today. It appeared on one of my favorite blogs, PR Meets Marketing. The post also includes a great list of other sources on the [...]
April 15, 2008 at 04:47
trade shows can be a lot of work but you will be able to establish connections with other companies.