Trade Show Marketing

While Comdex is kaput--at least this year--trade show marketing remains an important aspect of the high-tech world. The sands have shifted to smaller, more focused events. It's not surprising, with Comdex imploding as the tech economy cooled off. High-tech trade show marketing had to take a different course to survive. Trade shows can be a lot of fun, to be sure, and trade show marketing can be highly effective. But only if it's done right ...

I remember being in in the Comdex multimedia hall one year, in the midst of what seemed at the time to be a bomb scare. (If I had to guess the exact year, it would have probably been '93 or '94.) The multimedia stuff was crammed into an underground exhibit hall. It was incredibly loud down there--a tough environment for the trade show marketing folks to compete for the attention of the crowd. The alarm sounded in the midst of the multimedia bedlam. This wasn't long after the first World Trade Center bombing and I admit to being more than a bit paranoid ...

I recall seeing flashing strobe lights and hearing an alarm along with an indiscernible message. The building instructions were buried beneath a wall of sound, with the multimedia trade show booths' collective aural barrage drowning out any hope of hearing those important words.

As it turned out, thankfully, it was a false alarm.

While the experience scared the bejeezus out of me, it also gave me the idea for the ultimate trade show marketing giveaway: branded earplugs.

Brilliantly stupid, I thought ... imagine a pair of earplugs, emblazoned with a company logo. Trade show marketing magnificence ... simple, inexpensive, and bound to elicit desire among the flock. Cut through the aural clutter. Block out the bombastic bombardment. Bring them home to use with the weedwacker ...

Sheesh, could it get any better than that?

If your organization is putting together their trade show marketing plan, you'd do well to consider the right trade show giveaway. Sure, it might not be a pair of logo-encrusted earplugs. But you'll definitely want to start your planning long before the show and be sure to use all the right avenues to build up the buzz. Work on getting your audience to your booth, not just for the trinkets, but with anticipation for what you really have to offer.