Trade shows are one of the best opportunities for retail tech vendors to meet with clients and prospects face to face.
Whether it’s an initial meeting or a chance to move a prospective client further along the sales pipeline, in-person meetings are invaluable. And since key events such as NRF, Shoptalk, FMI Midwinter and others happen early in the year, the success of these meetings can help set the tone for the rest of the year.
However, there is another key audience to consider for trade shows: the media who attend these events. As a PR agency, we work closely with editors and reporters to cover client news and industry perspectives, and what they write helps influence our clients’ prospective customers. As a result, we always look for good opportunities for our clients to meet with media during conferences and trade shows.
Tech companies are often reluctant to participate in press meetings during busy trade shows; after all, their #1 objective is sales (and rightfully so!). However, here are four reasons why media briefings should be part of your trade show strategy.
1. Amplify your news
PR-savvy companies recognize that industry events are prime opportunities to make news announcements. As we’ve shared before, press releases announcing customer wins, new products or original research can create buzz, help drive booth traffic, and lead to media coverage during and after the show.
Meeting with editors and reporters to brief them on your news will greatly increase the opportunities to be included in influential articles. And if you don’t have news to share, use press meetings as an opportunity to share your viewpoints on industry trends, conduct background briefings for future stories and build relationships.
2. Influence the influencers
When you meet with editors and reporters, it’s an opportunity to help “influence the influencers.” The earned media that’s generated through PR provides a valuable source of reliable information for your prospective customers. In an age of mass disinformation, credible, trusted news media are more important than ever.
We’ve seen many instances where articles in leading publications have resulted in new prospects and customer wins for our clients; press meetings at trade shows will help support your sales efforts.
Don’t overlook analysts when planning your meetings at industry events. Analysts issue highly influential reports on technology vendors, and it’s important for them to know about your company in order to understand the vendor landscape.
Analysts are important players in major sales cycles; retailers seek out analysts when deciding on technology direction and vendor short lists, and analysts are frequently consulted when companies are considering mergers and acquisitions.
3. Discover new opportunities
Not surprisingly, most of our communications with editors take place via email and occasional phone calls or Zoom meetings; the journalists we work with are scattered throughout North America and worldwide. Given the nature of our virtual world, it’s hard to overstate the importance of in-person meetings; they present a rare opportunity to make an in-person connection.
Even a short meeting at a trade show can provide an opportunity to learn about new stories a reporter is working on, and the topics and trends they’re especially interested in. You can learn about upcoming industry analyst reports, too, and arrange in-depth analyst briefings after the event.
In-person meetings are opportunities for you to share your opinions on industry trends, challenges and opportunities. Technology vendors are an important source of information about the direction of our industry, and trade show meetings provide a chance to provide your perspectives.
4. Develop long-term, valuable relationships
As editors get to know technology vendors, good things start to happen. They can begin to understand your company’s area of expertise and recognize you as a valuable resource for future articles – which in turn leads to more press coverage. As a PR agency, we see it happen continually, when we get inbound media requests to speak to one of our clients for a story.
In-person meetings also nurture the “relationship” aspect of public relations. We get to know one another as unique individuals, which leads to better relationships and in many cases, lifelong friendships. And that makes business–and life –a lot more enjoyable and rewarding.
Austin
