You can increase your company’s visibility at a trade show by sponsoring a speaker for the event at which you are exhibiting. Sponsoring a speaker should constitute more than simply shelling out some cash to have your name announced along with the speaker, it should be well integrated into the rest of your trade show marketing program. Given the amount of money you’ll likely be spending to sponsor a speaker at your next event, you will definitely need to make sure you take advantage of the opportunity in every possible way. This post will help you make the most of your trade show speaker without overwhelming the audience with annoying branding messages.
If you’re going to sponsor a speaker, you need to get visitors and attendees excited about attending the speech. It is not unusual for the speech to be the most uninteresting part of an event, but sending out pre-show mailers and marketing literature will help you attract attention to the speech.
It is also important to educate the speaker about the products and/or services your company offers, and ask him/her to incorporate your company into the speech in some way. Be careful not to insist that the speaker use specific phrases, as this is a big turn off, but let them know your main marketing bullet points and they will probably find some way to slip them into the speech. Having a speaker talk directly about your company and your products can be especially powerful if the person is well-known and well-respected within your industry.
If the speaker is an important voice in your industry, people will want to talk with the speaker before and after the speech. Arrange for the speaker to be in your exhibit space during peak trade show hours before the speech is given, and be certain to mention that they will be there in your pre-show mailers. Also, arrange for the “question and answer time” that inevitably follows speeches to take place within your trade show booth. This will attract a good deal of attention to your exhibit space and will lend credibility to your branding efforts.
Sponsoring a trade show speaker can be a great boost to your trade show marketing program, but only when it is integrated into your overall exhibiting strategy.
