Effective public relations for exhibitions

Do exhibition organizers really understand the difference between “marketing and public relations”? From my own experience, I often think not. Exhibition promotion always seems to have concentrated on telesales, direct mail and advertising, and issuing a few standard dry and unimaginative press releases. As a consequence, the importance of public relations has been underestimated.
 
Public relations must be developed as a strong element within the promotional mix; after all, the dictionary definition of public relations is “Forming a favorable public opinion of an organization.” Surely this is what all organizers strive to do, and without the basis of general opinion, the success of the fair will be much more difficult to achieve.

The traditional monthly press release, announcing increased space sales or broader media coverage; you can only whip out showing dates and space sales so many times before the press stops reading press releases. Public relations is about understanding the target market, the exhibitors and visitors, the target media and their areas of interest, and knowing how to use exhibitors’ products or services to ‘sell’ a story to the press.
 
Strategy
 
To use public relations effectively, organizers need to plan their integrated strategy well in advance. Public relations may be the responsibility of a dedicated internal department or, more commonly, an external consultancy specializing in the relevant field or the exhibition industry as a whole.
 
There is definitely a positive advantage to using a consultancy that knows exhibits from both sides of the fence, as they can advise the organizer on the best way to extract contributions from exhibitors (and believe me, this can be like pulling teeth! ) Not only does this save organizers the time it takes to chase down all of their exhibitors for information, but it creates a feel-good factor with exhibitors that organizers are making the effort to promote them with professional support.
 
PR activity should therefore be planned at least 10 months in advance, to give the consultancy or internal team time to develop a relationship with exhibitors and key publishers. This way, organizers are more likely to see appropriate articles written in the relevant press, rather than simple duplicate press releases. The whole public relations exercise is about keeping potential exhibitors and visitors informed, so why not produce a regular newsletter in the run up to a show? This can bring news about the exhibitors who have booked for the exhibitions; On many occasions, the sight of competitors’ attendance encourages other companies to consider booking themselves.
 
Credibility
 
As an effective method of reaching the widest possible market of potential exhibitors and visitors, sponsorship from a leading body, key industry magazine or national newspaper is paramount. Association with such a body or magazine brings not only a larger readership to the event, but also a certain degree of caliber and increased credibility. This can also be seen as a focal point in other public relations activities, especially with joint resource surveys and promotions. Many magazines are also happy to run special features within their pages and target their own databases.
 
Once a good relationship has been established with key press, they are more likely to run a preview of the show, attend, and then check out what’s new in the show. In some cases, a special day for the press can be organized, in which editors are housed in the corridors and made to feel part of the event.
 
Characteristic
 
For exhibitions of an international nature, where foreign visitors are expected, an Internal Press Mission can be seen as vital to extend news coverage around the world prior to the event. A select group of publishers from key foreign magazines may be invited to the UK at the organizer’s expense (often with the support of the DTI), to study the industry in question and assess the position of the show. This usually generates excellent reports in the foreign press, and very often includes an extensive preview of the fair and the exhibiting companies.
 
During the exhibition, especially those of larger size and consumer character, daily press releases must be issued to the national press from the press office. The press officer should also have been in contact with radio and television stations, and should have established opportunities for national or regional media coverage.

A daily news sheet will also update visitors and exhibitors on how the show is going, key products to watch and special events taking place during the show.
 
Lacking
 
These elements seem to be missing from many shows, where a broader understanding of the potential of the show and the stories surrounding it is needed. I appreciate that some shows are there simply to showcase products on a low-key level, but I’m sure most organizers want their shows to grow and become ‘the event of the industry’.

Once the doors are closed and the breakdown is complete, public relations must not cease. It is important to keep the diaries up-to-date with event developments, visitor attendance and success stories. In this way you are already starting to sell the next event.

So back to my original question and my disappointing findings: “Do exhibition organizers really understand the difference between ‘marketing’ and ‘PR’? I’m sure many know what I’ve been talking about, but does it get put into practice?” ?
 
What I have outlined here is second nature to a PR professional, and it seems clear that PR and marketing are not the same thing. Public relations is just one element of marketing. Therefore, I find it frustrating to see exhibition organizers miss out on so many opportunities; all you need is thought, imagination, extensive planning, and the right PR team. So get out there and make the most of it; Don’t underestimate the power of public relations!