Thought Leadership

International - Getting the biggest PR bang for your Euro

Europe’s Big Trade Shows

For many journalists, memories of Europe’s big trade shows are often mixed. For example, CeBIT is renowned as an oversized trade show with no clear focus and an increasingly German-centric rather than international view. GSMA Mobile World Congress, on the other hand, concentrates on the wireless sector and is genuinely international. Both events are key milestones on Europe’s technology calendar and present challenges for PR teams seeking to elevate their messages above the noise.

You may ask why these shows matter. The answer lies less in the actual quantity of copy they generate than in the agenda they set—Text 100 media research consistently shows that topics dominating trade media during key shows are also the topics that cross over into mainstream business and consumer publications the following year.

Moreover, as bellwethers for the industry, trade shows provide concentrated opportunities to meet with customers, analysts and writers, and secure coverage. Quality definitely rules over quantity.

But without focus, trade shows can stretch company resources with very little result. Here are some simple dos and don’ts to help you get the most out of your trade show attendance:

• Pre-brief journalists in the month before any show to ensure coverage hits newsstands during the show period. More than seventy percent of CeBIT and GSMA Mobile World Congress copy is written prior to the event.
• Hire private apartments and meeting rooms to hold interviews. It’s much easier to concentrate on an interview in a private setting than in the main exhibition hall, which is always hot, crowded and full of distractions.
• Book central hotels if you are flying journalists to the event. Out-of-town hotels and venues waste a lot of travel time.
• Ensure your spokespeople are well prepared: The best experience for a journalist is a one-to-one interview with a senior executive who may not have anything new to announce but is prepared to talk openly about industry trends in a knowledgeable way and provide insight and some new ideas.
• Engage with writers who will cover the show without attending in person (especially important for CeBIT).

• Save your announcements for the show itself. There’s a lot of noise, and chances are your news will get lost in the mass of other announcements being made at the same time.
• Bother with mere product announcements. Unlike customers, journalists are not interested in different versions of products. However, if you tell them why customers are showing increased interest in version 2.3—and what innovative services are possible through it and whether it leads to increased revenue or profit—then journalists will be interested.