The Value of Tradeshows
FollowI noticed a recent spat of posts about tradeshows. Some discuss the value of participating in the show while others discuss the “emergence” of virtual tradeshows. At one point in my career, I had focused on conferences and speaking engagements – originally with Niehaus Ryan Wong’s Speakers Bureau and eventually starting the Conference Strategies for Blanc & Otus.
From a PR perspective, I view conferences as an opportunity to establish thought leadership and to increase a company’s awareness. However, it’s also important to understand how this fits within the marketing mix for organizations. Attending a show is not a small endeavor for a company. It’s costly, requires staff and must provide concrete results in the form of sales gold – the almighty sales lead. These folks have done a great job as discussing the value of tradeshows:
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Sales Lead Insights – Better Ways to Qualify Leads at a Trade Show
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B2B Lead Blog – Virtual Trade Shows – Are they the Better Alternative?
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B2B Lead Blog – Trade Shows – Branding or Demand Gen or Waste of Time and Money? Marketing WTF?
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The Lonely Marketer – Are Trade Shows a Waste of Time and Resources?
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Marketing Pilgrim – Trade Shows Go Virtual
Disclosure – my company has developed online conferences and events and provide live and on-demand streaming webcasts into virtual tradeshows for organizations.
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Cece Salomon-Lee is director of product marketing for Lanyon Solutions, Inc. and author of PR Meets Marketing, which explores the intersection of public relations, marketing, and social media.
This blog contains Cece's personal opinions and are not representative of her company's.
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trade shows can be a lot of work but you will be able to establish connections with other companies.
[…] today. It appeared on one of my favorite blogs, PR Meets Marketing. The post also includes a great list of other sources on the […]
@Julie – Actually, virtual trade shows aren’t like Second Life, which seeks to facilitate interaction between people. I would say the word “virtual” is a misnomer in this case. It’s more of an online component of the show that seeks to complement the live show.
The Value of Tradeshows « PR Meets Marketing
Article about the value of tradeshows – both live and online. Links to additional articles on the topic.
Trade shows can be very exhausting and you cannot always predict bountiful results for your businesses. However, it is an effective way of making and establishing connections. I haven’t heard of a virtual trade show yet but I imagine it operates similarly to Second Life. Guess I’d better read up on the links you shared!