K 2016 - Are you ready?

So you’ve booked your stand at K 2016, made all your travel arrangements, decided on a show theme, and sorted who from your company will attend, and when. That’s a good start -- but it’s only a start.

You need a clear commercial and communications strategy, a plan of attack, to maximize this massive investment of time and money. It’s vital that your message be heard far and wide, and that doesn’t just happen by accident. 

Here are just a few of the factors to consider, and decisions to be made and implemented:

• what new products will you be introducing at the show, and what else do you plan to feature?
• which end markets are you targeting with your message, and via which media channels?
• do you know the relevant editors and reporters by name -- not only of print publications, but also of key websites, e-newsletters, blogs, etc., and do you know how to reach them quickly?
• are you familiar with the content of those media channels, their target readers, and the types of topics and angles that most interest them editorially? Do you know their deadlines, and how to appeal to them?
• do you plan to issue a press release (or more) and, if so, do you have a release schedule in place, which languages will you be translating them into?
• do you intend to organize a press conference or customer event during the show?
• what types of press materials will you have on hand to share with the media, do you have high-resolution images?
• how do you plan to create awareness of your presence at the show among customers and prospects, and drive traffic to your stand -- through a pre-show press release, an event invitation, advance news coverage and/or advertising in key media, via your company e-newsletter to customers, your website, social media (or all of the above)?
• do you have a crisis-management plan in place, in the unlikely case that you might need to deal with an unexpected or negative situation while at the show, where dozens of international journalists can easily descend on your stand looking for immediate comment?
• have you properly trained your team that will be participating in the fair – meaning not only your commercial team and executives, but also your spokespersons? Have those officials been thoroughly briefed on what to say (and not say) to reporters on the record?

The list of details is daunting, and seemingly endless. But failure to cross the t’s or dot the i’s on almost any of the above items has the potential to limit, to some degree, your level of success.

Your strategy is clear: Take command of the opportunity that lies ahead, and be sure to make your trade show experience positive, productive and profitable.

 

 

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