Every event marketer understands that creating brand engagement requires hard work, thought, and ingenuity. Although you already understand your audience, some cases exist when they don't know you. Trade shows and consumer-facing events are essential to any consumer brand's strategy. Effective use of these strategies can create meaningful connections, generate brand exposure, and boost sales.
Emerging brands rely on trade shows and consumer events to effectively promote their products to the industry and consumers. On the other hand, established brands use these events to showcase new SKUs and remain top of mind amongst partners and consumers. It is also the best way to increase brand awareness and establish category leadership.
Common Event Pitfalls and Challenges
Trade shows and customer-facing events require a lot of planning. Event organizers usually must navigate through a sea of problems to ensure an event gets the awareness it deserves. One small misstep can lead to devastating results.
The biggest issue during event planning is the cost. From exhibiting and sponsorship costs to booth fabrication to shipping of products and materials to travel and expenses of those staffing the booth, it really adds up.
Even more, determining the ROI of your brand's presence at these types of events is nearly impossible. The post-event evaluations are challenging, but it's enough to help you know how to improve the next event. Failure to plan means you will not attend the event, and a competitor can take your place.
The Solution
The most successful brands turn to mobile technology to track their presence and investment at events. You can ensure operational compliance, workforce efficiency, and ROI optimization by arming event talent and brand ambassadors with mobile technology. Furthermore, it gives you access to more relevant data to analyze, observe performance, and iterate.
The right technology investment enables sales and event professionals to work smarter and easier. They can instantly capture new customers and determine their demands while collecting data for effective follow-ups. In the era of big data and automation, it's best to have the right tools to oversee the execution of trade shows and consumer events.
Perfect streamlining of event execution through mobile enables you to achieve several objectives. These include:
- Offering clearly articulated goals, best practices, and brand standards to those working the event.
- Collect accurate consumer and industry feedback from the event.
- Track data such as the number of products sampled, consumers/buyers interacted with, products sold, and more to inform future events and campaigns.
- Ensure brand compliance at the event. With photographic evidence, you can ensure your presence at these events matches your brand standards.
With this reporting flowing back to HQ in real-time, you can correct issues and replicate wins immediately at the event. The data collected is also accurate for making the right decision for future event planning.
Make Your Event Activations Seamless
Solving event issues requires investing in the right tools for your team. Innovation allows you to follow trends and teaches you to find the right solution to showcase your brand and products.
PINATA has pressure-tested playbooks for trade shows and consumer event activations. These are plug-and-play and are easy for your team(s) to follow at these events. Additionally, intuitive mobile technology allows your event personnel to showcase their outstanding work for your brand without hassle.
Generating concise and actionable data and transmitting it back to the office in real-time enables organizers to make immediate adjustments to the strategy that bolsters your brand. Book a demo to learn more and see PINATA in action.