Experiential

Marketers have been throwing around the words return on investment (ROI) for centuries as a yardstick of effectiveness for every post-event report. It’s been a common term for so long that it’s often an assumed goal for almost any business project or activity.

The events and exhibition industry is a rapidly growing and competitive market. Every year we see new technology being developed and new display solutions being created, all designed to appeal to attendees.

Data capture and following up on leads from an exhibition or trade show has never been easier. No longer do you need reams of paper to collect names, phone numbers and email addresses as it’s all captured on a tablet and sent straight to your database, ready for you or your sales team to follow up on.

We have all seen them in Sydney, you have probably all be in one of them, and you may even have eaten at one of them – pop-up shops and kiosks are ‘popping’ up all over the place, and research indicates that consumers love them!

It still comes as a surprise to us that many people have not heard of experiential marketing.

Many get it confused with event marketing, which is understandable given experiential campaigns do tend to be event-centric and both share the same face-to-face elements. 

We all know that first impressions count, and never more so than in a crowded exhibition hall. So how can you make sure that you stand out and that your booth makes an impact?

Over the last few months we’ve seen a huge spike in office sampling campaigns. Marketers have recognized this segment as a huge, untapped opportunity, with large numbers of professional people gathered in one place.

As we start our year in 2016 we can be sure of one thing – change! What was new and exciting  to our customers last year might not have so much impact this year. 

More and more marketers are realising the importance of sponsorships and brand engagement in leveraging an emotional connection with their brand.

It’s true to say that Australia is definitely not at the forefront of exhibition displays when we look at the rest of the world. But as long as we recognise this, we can certainly use it to our advantage.