Computer Trade Show 2006 - There's no business like show business!

May seems to be an important month for us at Persona Creative. Last year, we moved to our new studio and this year we held our first ever trade exhibition. Our venue of choice was the Computer Trade Show (CT Show 2006), which was held at the NEC in Birmingham. The show itself is targeted at the IT resellers and distributors who bring the latest gadgets and software to the masses. So what was a marketing agency doing there amongst these high-tech specialists? Well, we happen to know a thing or two about the IT industry and indeed the audiences they target. So, rather than be just another face in the crowd at an Internet show, we decided to exhibit to our client base. Now we're no strangers to exhibitions, but usually we're designing stands and material for our clients - not ourselves! The decision to exhibit at the Computer Trade Show was fairly close to its' scheduled dates, so our creative kicked into overdrive to meet the deadline. For the show, we had to run a number of projects from start-to-finish such as: 1.Update and print the Persona brochure The Computer Trade Show gave us a great excuse to update our brochure. Our own corporate literature had taken a back seat because we've busy working with clients, amassing plenty of creative and communications we were spoilt for choice. 2. Design and print large format panels Making a real statement on nine panels measuring 1 metre across and 2.5 metres high presented us with a great opportunity to design our own large format prints. Using our three models representing Digital, Brand and Media provided the colourful backdrop required to make our installation really eye-catching. In addition we designed a fourth panel listing our services relevant to our audience at the show. Rather than listing everything that we can do (which is a lot), we focused on just a handful services, proving that understanding your audience is much more successful way to achieve results. 3. Design and commission customised display stands Not content with buying "off the peg" plinths (regardless of the timeframe) we wanted our stands that were unique and definitely on brand. Some of our precious time was used to source the right materials - fortunately we sourced a local company who had just what we were looking for, who then recommended a furniture maker who was able to realise our vision! Time well spent AND we've got bespoke plinths to use at future shows. 4. Design the stand layout As we are adept at turning our hands to many different ways of communicating succesfully, our exhibition design skills are certainly no different. Our third exhibition design brief to date, we were able to utilise all 18 square metres. Planning the layout of the stand in advance was cruicial to its' success, using our 3D rendering skills we plotted exactly where the furniture, large format prints, lighting, sockets and our product photography studio would be positioned on our arrival to the show; benefits of using a virtual format means there's no huff and puff in re-arranging the furniture. :) 5. Organise product photography shoot Our product photography service is proving to be increasingly popular with our clients since the launch of our in-house photography studio. With manufacturers at the show in plentiful supply exhibiting their super-new products and gadgetry, we collaborated with a number of companies photographing the best of their products. These photographs will be accompanied by their marketing copy and technical specifications and will feature in a showcase microsite which we're currently developing; the site is is set to go live in early June and will be promoted across the IT industry and IT media contacts. 6. Update the work showcase for the display screens Updated presentations of work and credentials are a useful reference source for prospects and clients, in a few minutes the viewer gets to understand your company ethos and gets a snap shot of your work. Rather than being too service generic we once again focused on relevant content for our audience which generated some great leads. Epilogue It all came together beautifully and the resulting stand was one of the most eye catching at the show - located next to the Intel bus and generating a good flow of traffic. It might have helped that we took our fantastic Pierre Gauriche sofa with us (in Red, Green and Blue of course) which went down a storm with the other exhibitors who were keen to try out our photography services whilst taking the weight off their feet! We met with IT organisations of all sizes over the two days and there was definitely some common themes running through their questions. Running effective e-marketing programmes (such as email, virals and Flash advertising) was the key topic and we discussed ideas, strategy and creative with as many of those who asked. Thankfully, our experience in both the channel as well as the industry served us well here, as many of these organisations are now in discussion with us to carry out some trial projects. All in all, it was a great show for us and we'll be looking to take our show on the road more often - after all, being in front of our clients is what we love best.