The Business Travel Show and International Confex has already taken place, while IMEX in Frankfurt and The Meetings Show are just around the corner. Yes, the business meeting trade fair season is in full swing.

These types of shows are the focal point for marketing campaigns for many organisations, designed to increase awareness and drive commercial objectives, including maximising ROI and stand visitors.

But how to build media buzz? Too often marketers fail to account for a pre-show PR plan to ensure a regular steady follow of communications and editorial coverage in the build up to the event. This planning is essential to ensure that the awareness and momentum are generated pre and post show.

With more than 30 years of experience both supporting brands exhibiting at events and running exhibition PR campaigns and press office, the Clareville team has a huge bank of knowledge and expertise that can enable any brand to make the most of PR before, at and after exhibitions.

Here are a few points to remember or consider:

1. Media partners – do you really make the most of them?

Partnership deals between organisers and key industry titles are a fundamental element of most event PR and marketing plans. In our experience, in reality, most exhibitors do not take advantage of the PR benefits that they could achieve from them. The key difference between those who come close and those who could gain much more are that the more successful contact and create content specifically tailored to editorial guidelines and are clear on expectations- word count, which editions, subject matter. Secondly a proactive PR team liaises up with the editor to develop a synopsis, confirms the deadlines and ensures that the article is published.

2. Offering media conference and interview opportunities

Experienced exhibitor PR teams know that the event is a good opportunity to announce major news or for their CEO to meet key media. Taking advantage of facilities adjacent to the on-site Press Office for press conferences and one-to-one briefings is a simple way of boosting exposure. At the same time, if a PR team make efforts in advance to invite and arrange these meetings, their efforts can help to maximise the media gain from exhibiting at the event.

3. Contact registered media

As registered press will be writing articles around the event anyway, contacting them in advance presents a perfect opportunity to create additional coverage, particularly if you can arrange press events and briefings that supply them with news.

The media landscape is continuously shifting and evolving. With specialist expertise in business tourism, destinations, venues, events and exhibitions, we at Clareville have the insight to deliver impactful PR campaigns with business objectives at its core.

These are just a few of our tips, we would love to tell you more.

Please contact [email protected]

For more information about our exhibition PR expertise, please click here www.clareville.co.uk/london-pr-consultants-knowledge/exhibition-pr/

And you can learn more about our experience working with the conference and meetings sector here www.clareville.co.uk/london-pr-consultants-knowledge/meetings-industry-pr/