IAEE’s Art of the Show Competition celebrates outstanding promotion of exhibitions and events in 15 categories, including Print Advertising and Show Daily. These elements comprise a well-rounded marketing plan, but what makes them so effective? IAEE asked its competition judges this question and offers these pointers:
Print Advertising
An advertisement used by an organization to promote an exhibition to either exhibitors or attendees. Must have appeared in a publication. Brochures are not included in this category. Judges take into consideration creativity, clarity of message, graphic design, layout and copy.
A few things to keep in mind:
- Connect with your audience. If the reader cannot relate to the imagery and/or headline in the ad, they won’t move on to the copy. It goes beyond show branding; advertising offers a unique opportunity to draw in potential exhibitors/attendees.
- Does it make sense? The competition to grab a reader’s attention is fierce, and no one is saying that originality and creativity should be set aside. However, you want to make sure that the message – your very clear and concise message – doesn’t get lost in the POW! WHAM! ZAP! action of advertising.
- Include a call to action. Ever see a cool ad but can’t remember what the actual product or service was? Don’t be that ad.
2014 Print Advertising Winners
Show Daily
Any publication updating attendees about the event, and distributed on show site each day of the event. Judges take into consideration graphic design, layout, copy and whether or not the publications contribute to an overall exhibition experience.
A few things to keep in mind:
- Balance, grasshopper. It’s so basic yet so easy to miss the mark when it comes to layout, but the rule never changes: the right amount of text versus imagery will engage and inform the reader so that your show daily becomes just that – a vital part of the attendee’s daily routine at the event.
- Form a bond with the reader. Regardless of whether the publication focuses strictly on the show or incorporates the show into a broader format, helpful information such as a schedule-at-a-glance of that day’s top events or reminders of must-see activities/displays gives readers that warm fuzzy feeling that you are experiencing the event with
- People love seeing themselves! Including photos of attendees enjoying the previous day’s activities is a great way to enhance the overall exhibition experience and, once again, connect with readers at the event.
2014 Show Daily Winners
Do you have great marketing collateral the world should see? Show off your Art of the Show by entering IAEE’s Art of the Show Competition! Click here to get started. See last year’s winners here.
Stay tuned for Insider Tip #6: Show Photography and Show Promotion –Website
Oh no, I missed Tips #1-4! No worries, click here.
