Author: Claire Russell-Jones, Account Director

At just three years old, formnext has matured into a major show for the global additive manufacturing community and, as such, is a milestone event each year for the team here at Incus. With a reported 470 exhibitors and 21,500 attendees, how do we cut through the noise and make our clients heard at the show? Following two particularly successful client campaigns at formnext 2017, here are our five takeaways for a successful formnext PR campaign, should you be heading to the show in 2018:

Driving footfall to your stand starts long before the show

How do some companies have a stand buzzing with visitors five minutes before you’ve finished your first coffee? To drive traffic in your direction at the show, it’s important to create momentum beforehand. Speaking slots as part of the event conference programme put your brand and spokespeople in front of a relevant audience early on. A pre-show press release placed with the right media titles whets the appetite of prospective customers. Even if you don’t think you have news, there are ways to engage the media and give yourself a voice.

Influence the influencers

Journalists’ diaries are often locked down by the time the show comes around. It’s important to set-up interviews in advance where possible, give editors a taste of what they’ll get from you at the show, so they know it’s worth their valuable time to pay you a visit. Of course, it helps to know who’s likely to attend, so nurturing your relationships throughout the year keeps you informed and increases the chance that journalists will pick up your call. Also, be flexible. A good PR person can steer journalists at the show – make sure you have knowledgeable spokespeople willing and available to talk to them. Five minutes over coffee could be the difference between no article and a cover feature in an influential trade magazine.

Content

If there are no new product announcements, there’s still lots you can do to develop compelling content. Customers are the best brand ambassadors; application stories are king and thought leadership articles provide industry insights that readers savour.  Provide comprehensive press kits that reflect the brand’s strengths. It doesn’t have to be a collection of press releases – also include photos, videos, brochure, datasheets etc. and help journalists get a 360-degree perspective on your story.

Real-time announcements

Media love at-show news, so keep it flowing and maintain the buzz with both pre-planned and on-the-fly product news, sales announcements, new partnership agreements etc. Find out in advance who’s likely to close sales before the show – get them PR-ready. Promote any speaking opportunities and at-show events. Be prepared to respond to opportunities and integrate your sales and PR teams. Use multiple channels to share your story – social media, press releases, face-to-face – leave no stone unturned.

Break down barriers

With all that awesome content, remove any obstacles that prevent your audience from consuming it with relish! With almost half of the formnext audience visiting from outside of Germany, content in local languages is a must. Editors may well speak English or German fluently, but why take the risk that a busy journalist doesn’t take the time (or find the cost) to translate, and opts instead for your competitor’s – clearly less interesting but local language –  news? Translations also illustrate that the brand values the region. Make editors’ lives easy and they’ll love working with you.

To discuss PR and marketing support for your next tradeshow, contact jonathan.wake@incus-media.com.