As director of marketing for ACTIVE Network Business Solutions group, Cece Salomon-Lee is our resident expert on all things event marketing. Below, Cece reports on Macworld/iWorld conference buzz from the epicenter of all the excitement. [caption id="attachment_1757" align="alignright" width="180"]
Credit: MacWorld 2012[/caption]Starting today, more than 20,000 Mac enthusiasts will descend upon the Moscone Center for the annual Macworld/iWorld conference in San Francisco. As the event technology partner for Macworld/iWorld, we conducted an informal, wholly playful, definitely unscientific survey to get a sense of what exhibitors were planning for this year’s event!Getting people to your boothOne of the challenges that many exhibitors face is attracting the right prospects – customers and partners – to their booth. And with all the innovative products and educational sessions at Macworld/iWorld, we were interested in knowing how exhibitors planned to rise above the noise.Social media was the most select marketing tactic with online marketing and product giveaways following. Interestingly, mobile marketing lagged behind, indicating that maybe, despite the saturation of smart phones, exhibitors have not caught on to mobile marketing just yet.For the adventurous, mobile marketing may just be the way to rise above the noise![caption id="attachment_1758" align="aligncenter" width="458"]
Which marketing tactics are you using to drive attendees to your booth?[/caption]
Top Product Giveaways
We added this question assuming that exhibitors would give away a variety of iOS products to drive traffic to their booths. Based on our unscientific sample, iPad series products won hands down, with non—Apple related computer products ranking second. So if you’re looking for an iPad, be sure to make it to Macworld/iWorld this weekend.Overall, product promotions is one way to attract people to your booth. Just be aware that this may attract individuals seeking to win a valued prize versus interested in learning about your products and services. Tie the product promotion with a targeted call to action to further validate prospects for your post show sales efforts.[caption id="attachment_1759" align="aligncenter" width="446"]
What product are you giving away at your booth?[/caption]
Fun Is Informative
For us the above snapshot provides a quick insight into how exhibitors approach tradeshows like Macworld/iWorld. Be bold in your marketing to stand out from the crowd. And leverage product giveaways strategically to ensure you attract quality.What has your experience as an exhibitor at tradeshows? Please share your tips with us in the comments.
