Media Coverage at Trade Shows

Trade shows can be a golden opportunity for your company to garner media coverage. You don't have to be the biggest or the best company to get publicity. You do have to be topical, different, informative, and available. Find a way to emphasize any of those things, and your chances of grabbing coverage will rise.

First, you need to identify the relevant trade media that cover your industry. If you haven't contacted them before, this is a good opportunity to make the initial call or send a letter with background information about your company, your products, and what you'll be doing at the trade show. Because most trade publications have lead times ranging from several weeks to up to six months, make contact as early as possible. Give other media, such as daily and weekly newspapers, at least several weeks notice.

Try to schedule a new product introduction, update, or other announcement to coincide with the show. If you prepare a news release to distribute at the show, perform doubly by distributing it to your prospects too. If possible, coordinate your publicity efforts with the public relations efforts of the show's organizers. Find out if your company's media materials can be included in a press kit distributed by the show's organizers.

Many shows are connected with trade publications, and these usually print a pre-show edition. Explore advertising opportunities in the trade show edition of the host publication, and make sure that the editors are aware of any and all of your news announcements. Promote your booth on your Web site, and consider temporary banner ads on the sponsoring organization's Web site or online magazine. There should be a press room onsite at the trade show where you can schedule a press conference to make announcements. Other companies will stock the press room with press kits. You should do the same.

Local or regional ties to the show can be another means to distinguish your company from the competition. Did any of your executives graduate from a local college or university? Did they grow up in the area or work there? A local angle is sometimes all it takes to get the local media's attention.

Weekly newspapers and business magazines are also important media targets. Even small newspapers have business reporters who could write about your company. Larger papers have reporters who cover specific businesses, industries, or groups of industries. Find out who they are and let them know about your participation in the trade show.

Internet publications present yet another opportunity to spread the word about your company. Your trade show contact, trade association, or industry group might be able to pinpoint online publications that plan coverage of the show.

Don't forget local television and radio, especially if you have a visually interesting product or if you can tie it in to something topical. Your first contact should be to the station's news editors, who are generally in charge of making assignments for reporters. Most television stations and many newspapers have Web sites that tell you how to make contact.

In addition to providing great marketing opportunities for your company, trade shows also offer you a chance to survey your competitive landscape. Read our article, , to take full advantage of the chance to do this market research.

Once you have a sense of the great benefits that come with exhibiting at trade shows, you might wonder where to concentrate your efforts. A little research will show you which shows are going to be most worth your while. Target the shows you need to attend and pinpoint those in which you need to participate by reading

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