Trade shows are great places to take reporters to lunch and to generate all kinds of publicity.
Among the thousands of attendees at trade shows, you’ll sometimes find hundreds of reporters who are hungry for stories about new products and interesting people behind the products. But you must do your homework.
–Even before you pack your suitcase, know your goal. What do you want reporters to write about? Do you want to be positioned as the market leader in your category? Do you want attention for a new product? Once you’ve identified your goal, write a positioning statement that you’ll use over and over again in your marketing materials, in your elevator pitch and in your media kit.
–Determine what you need to take with you to tell your story. You might need news releases, hard copies of photos, or photos on CD, testimonials from people who have tried your product, graphics, or comments from industry analysts. You’ll also need print and electronic media kits.
–Before you arrive, or as soon as you get there, line up as many interviews as possible at your booth with reporters. It might be difficult to get reporters to commit that early, but try it anyway.
–When you arrive at the convention hall, learn where the press room is. Hang out near the entrance and introduce yourself to reporters coming and going.
–Call the trade show’s press office and see what resources they have available for you. They might give you lists of reporters who have pre-registered for the event, along with contact information. The press office also might be able to set up a press conference for you.
Learn more great tips from “Trade Show PR: How to Rise Above the Noise Level,” a one-hour teleseminar I conducted with trade show publicity expert Dan Janal, available as a CD or cassette tape.