Start planning your FABTECH publicity campaign today!
Public Relations add value to your show experience! You are investing significant marketing dollars to exhibit at this show. Make your dollars go further by utilizing public relations to promote your products and services. Advance planning will help you maximize your media coverage before and after the show. Following are important forms and information to help get you started. Have questions? Email communications@sme.org or call 800-733-3976 and ask for FABTECH Public Relations Department.
Why Incorporate PR into your Expo Strategy? (top)
Stand out from your competitors! Fewer than 10% of exhibitors provide press materials to the media. Trade journalists report that they are looking for new products, services and companies to feature. Is your company their next cover story?
FABTECH is a great opportunity to showcase your business to the trade media. Here are reasons to include a PR component in your expo experience:
- Introduce Your Company – Are you new to this market? Is the media unfamiliar with your organization? Make sure the trade media knows about your company and the benefits you provide.
- Product Launch – Are you introducing a new product at this show? Make sure you can explain how this product benefits customers. Case studies make great news pitches.
- Introduce Key Executives – Trade shows are a great opportunity to introduce new executives to the media – but make sure they have something to say.
How to Take Advantage of the New Rules of Public Relations (top)
Not long ago, a news release was designed to inform the media of something noteworthy about your company that you hoped an editor would find important enough to use. The Internet has changed all the rules and you need to learn how to use those new rules to your advantage.
It is still important to provide your company's newsworthy announcements to the editors of trade magazines that cover your industry. They spend days on the show floor evaluating new products and looking for stories that will fascinate their readers. Your releases can bring them to your booth to focus on your big news. You should note that these magazines may also publish the same information on their Web sites or in electronic newsletters. That means releases need to be written with searchable keywords – it needs to prove itself to both the human editors and the spiders used by the search engines.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for news releases is the best way to ensure your information reaches your target audiences and will not only increase the visibility of your release it will also make your message more accessible and can extend the life of your release on popular search engines from days to months. In order to achieve more effective search optimization, think of the one or two words you would use if you were to search for the kind of information contained in your release and make sure those words appear in your release (preferably in the headline and lead).
At the very least, you should post an announcement on your Web site and in your newsletter that you will be exhibiting at FABTECH . Be sure to include the show dates and location and what they can expect to see in your booth. (To encourage your audience to attend the event, post the show banner ad on your Web site which provides a direct link to the show so your audience can register for free.Banner Ads for the 2010 FABTECH event will be available in the spring and linked right here.
Press Kits (top)
Exhibitors are strongly encouraged to provide a "press kit" to the Media Center. Trade journalists are looking for story ideas and information to share with their readers.
Today's journalists prefer paperless press kits, so we strongly recommend providing digital press materials on CD, DVD or branded flash drive. These materials should also be available on your Web site for easy access following the expo.
Press kits should contain the following:
- Company Name
- Company Logo
- News Releases
- Photos
- Corporate Information
- ProductInformation
Exhibitors should provide 50 kits (preferably paperless) to the Media Center.
- Hand deliver kits to the Media Center the day prior to the show opening.
- Ship kits to show to arrive at least three days before the start of the show.
FABTECH/AWS/METALFORM SHOW
c/o FREEMAN
SHOW MGMT OFFICE/MEDIA CENTER
McCormick Place
2301 South Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60616
Media Press Room (top)
The show Media Center is open during show hours for journalists to conduct interviews, write articles and to relax. The Media Center is busiest the first morning of the show. Exhibitors are encouraged to provide press kits (see above) prior to the show opening.
Media Center (top)
The show Media Center is open during show hours for journalists to conduct interviews, write articles and to relax. The Media Center is busiest the first morning of the show. Exhibitors are encouraged to provide press kits (see above) prior to the show opening.
- Exhibitors should provide 50 kits (preferably paperless) to the Media Center.
- Hand deliver kits to the Media Center the day prior to the show opening.
- Ship kits to show to arrive at least three days before the start of the show.
Media List (top)
Trade and local media lists for FABTECH are available. Select the media providing the most pertinent exposure for your company and send your news release to the editors of monthly publications at least three months before the desired issue date. Information can be sent to local media right up to the start of the show.
Exhibitors may request the list of registered media three weeks prior to show date by sending a request to: communications@sme.org .
Effective News Releases (top)
When you consider what is newsworthy about your organization, consider who reads the publications and what problems they need to solve or what motivates them. How does your company provide the solutions?
Here are some questions to ask before preparing a press release:
- Do you have a new solution to an old problem?
- Are your products or processes more environmentally friendly?
- Do you have case studies that you can share with the media? (Be sure to get approval from your customers.)
- Has your product/company won a major award? Why is this significant to your customers, your industry or your community?
- Have any of your company executives presented at a conference? What information do they have that bears sharing with a wider audience?
- Have you recently added a feature to an existing product that enhances its functions? What are the benefits to the end user?
- Have you published a white paper that offers benefits to your customers?
Ten Tips to Help Your News Release Make the News (top)
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Where & When to Send News Releases (top)
Use a targeted – not "scattershot" – approach when distributing news releases to magazines. Look at the releases you write in relation to the list of editors you might send it to and be selective. Pay attention to editorial calendars and deadlines. Your local business section may have an editorial deadline that is just a few days prior to the issue date; however, most industry trade magazines and journals have a deadline that is months in advance of the publication date. (i.e., If you want your product news release to appear in the October issue of magazines you will need to submit your release by August.)
News Conferences (top)
Consider holding a news conference if what you have to announce requires a demonstration or is of equal interest to many publications. Media prefer getting an "exclusive" rather than getting the same story their competitors are getting.
Your company may be better served by inviting media to one-on-one meetings with key executives at your booth. Suggest a specific story angle that would interest their readers. Schedules can fill up fast, so it's best to call reporters several weeks prior to the event.
News conferences are coordinated by FABTECH PR Department to ensure minimal overlap. A reservation form for these requests will be posted right here in the spring of 2010. A complete schedule of all news conferences is available in the Media Center for editors and reporters covering the event.
If you wish to hold a news conference in your booth BEFORE or AFTER show hours, please observe the following policies:
- News conferences may start no earlier than one and a half hours before the show opens.
- Obtain an Early Entrance Pass from the Show Management Office at least one day prior to your news conference.
- All persons attending must have badges in order to enter the show floor. All pre-registered attendees, media or booth personnel must be met at the show entrance and escorted to your booth where they must remain.
- If the news conference/demonstration ends before the show opens, all non-exhibitor participants must be escorted back to the registration area.
Photography (top)
Exhibitors may only take pictures of their own booth. Credentialed media are permitted to use cameras with the permission of the exhibitor. (Attendees are not allowed to photograph exhibits.)
Please contact FABTECH PR Department at 313.425.3187 or via e-mail at communications@sme.org for more details.
