This year’s Satellite Show promises to be a jam-packed event. Last year we saw the return to something akin to normality. This year, with travel pretty much back to normal for most people, it is likely that the event will be busier than ever. At the same time, there has been so much change over recent years, which is causing both challenges and opportunities for this industry. Many of the hot topics have made it into the conference agenda and it promises to be an interesting time to have those discussions.
With a seemingly full floor plan, a packed conference schedule, and the various networking events taking place throughout those few days, it can be hard standing out from the crowd and give people a reason to meet you. How can satcoms companies, especially the smaller ones with lower marketing budgets, maximise their presence to get value out of the show? Here are our top tips to help you succeed:
1. Make sure people know you are there
Sounds obvious, but it is a fundamental place to start. Believe it or not, unless you are particularly big or doing something exceptionally groundbreaking, your potential customers won’t be searching to see if you are there or hovering on your website waking for the next post. Make sure you tell them you are there, where to find you, and how to schedule a meeting. You can do this in a few ways but it should start with an events page on your website where people can either book a meeting or get in touch to schedule something. Then direct people to it through social media, email campaigns, or a relevant blog post, for example.
2. Share your news (and ideally early)
I am a great believer in not sharing news for the sake of it, but it is worth looking at what you can announce ahead of big events like Satellite Show. Bear in mind though, that preview issues are coming out about a month beforehand, so if you want people to read your news before the event, plan ahead. This is also true for getting in the dailies, they get some of the layout done before they get there, so sending your news early definitely increases your chance of pick-up. In terms of what makes a good press release, ask yourself whether you would be interested in the news if another company was sharing. If not, chances are it is not worth announcing.
3. Meet the press
Journalists and analysts go to trade events not only to report on what is happening there but also to meet the movers and shakers in the industry. You need to give them a compelling reason to meet you, but it doesn’t always have to mean breaking news. Bear in mind that it doesn’t always lead to instant coverage, but it does lead to something all the more valuable -the beginning of a relationship which quite often leads to you being approached as the expert.
4. Find your customers
All of that pre-event activity will hopefully make customers aware you are there. It may even lead to some coming to you to book in meetings, but you will likely still need to proactively book in meetings. If you have some blog content or recent articles or event case studies, you can direct people to, that might help as a good opener to get that interest. Sending an eblast to multiple contacts is great, but this should be backed up by direct and personal messages, at least to your biggest targets.
5. Stay organised
Keeping on track of everything leading up to a big event can be a challenging task but it is one that is extremely important. Missed deadlines can lead to higher costs and missed appointments at the event itself are obviously not ideal, especially if they are with potential customers. I normally create a master planning sheet for the event to keep an eye on all of the different elements and creating a shared calendar that the whole team can access is a useful way to keep diaries in sync. If you have a booth, you may also want to put together a booth rota to make sure there will always be cover.
At Radical Moves, we specialise in the satellite industry and we have experience running show presence for clients in various different forms, from managing the entire show to setting up media briefings. If you would like to chat ahead of Satellite or grab a coffee there, please do get in touch.
