These first appeared in 1999 – has anything really changed!

E-mail

Use broadcast e-mail to get prospects to do your marketing for you. Send them an e-mail with a unique idea of valuable piece of business information, anything they’d want to pass on to friends or colleagues. Include your promotional message at the end.
Include your web site address on everything.
To generate more traffic to the web site consider trading links with exhibitors to draw more visitors. You’ll gain exposure among their customers, potential attendees and their competitors and prospective exhibitors.
List the sponsorships available on your web site. As they sell, put SOLD in red letters as they sell. This creates a sense of urgency.
Put your exhibitor newsletter together as an e-mail and send it to current and prospective exhibitors. It will help exhibitors who have already committed make good use of the information and prospective participants join the bandwagon.
Take advantage of the “signature file” at the end of your e-mail messages. Most e-mail programmes allow you to include 100-words or more at the end of every message. Include information about your next event as well as contact information in the signature file of all show employees. Update the message as the show approaches.

Printed promotions

Timing is everything. Research has shown than visitor promotion mailings are most cost effective between 10 and 90 days before the show.

To offset costs, sell sponsorship to exhibitors on your broadcast faxes or e-mails to attendees.
Capitalise on your industry knowledge. Gain exposure for your event by getting yourself invited to speak at industry conferences or association meetings that your attendees and exhibitors attend.
Tap into industry associations. Don’t neglect associations whose membership might only slightly overlap with your audience.

Make it easy for publications for the press to write articles about your show by providing timely press releases as well as photos from your last event in downloadable, high resolution files on your web site.
Invite the press to subscribe for a “Headline Service” a weekly e-mail highlighting developments with your show as well as products being offered by your exhibitors.

Get exhibitors to donate merchandise for prize giveaways for pre-registered visitors.
Ask exhibitors to send you information on at least one new product that they’ll have at the show. Compile a list and then send it to potential attendees and the media.