Event Marketing Lessons from CES 2012
Earlier this month, the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) garnered a lot of attention. No big surprise when you’ve got 3,100 exhibitors in 1.86 million square feet, and 153,000 attendees and 5,000 media from all over the world!
But luckily the key takeaways from the show don’t just stay in Vegas. All tradeshow and event marketers can take inspiration from the 3 lessons learned from the “Super Bowl” of tradeshows.
Getting Serious About Social
Integrating social media with tradeshow and event programs isn’t a new idea. With 66% of U.S. adults now using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google+ and more, these platforms can be used to quickly and inexpensively promote your event, and engage with your audience before, during and after.
At CES, Intel’s “Social Cockpit” tracked what was being said at the show along with real-time trends. While you may not create a sophisticated monitoring program like this, the key learning illustrates just how much opportunity there is for marketers to use social media at events for promotion, but to also listen and identify new trends. After all, key industry insiders, experts and guests are attending the event. Chances are a lot of ideas and opinions are being shared or tweeted. Listening to what is being said can provide valuable input to guide new service offerings or product updates.
Video Rules!
One of the top products showcased at CES was Swivl. This hot mobile accessory becomes your personal robotic cameraman, and allows hands-free video capture that always keeps you centered in the video.
Cool product features aside, the real lesson? Video is an important communication and content delivery strategy at every point in the sales funnel. There are so many video tools readily available now, making events the perfect medium for capturing video. From keynotes, press conferences and special events, to booth activities and product demos, these activities can all be used to generate video content. Once the event is over, consider using captured videos as blog content, industry trends recap, event highlights, sales tools, and more.
Tablets, TVs and More, Oh My!
CES is a gadget-lover’s dream come true. Everything from Smart and OLED TVs, to ultrabooks and the car of the future, to next gen tablets and even a 3D View-Master were showcased.
Obviously, technology continues to change the way we live, work and play. But the CES lesson isn’t about the coolest new product. Instead, it’s about integrating technology with tradeshow and event marketing to make our programs more interactive, engaging and relevant. Whatever technology is used—Augmented Reality, QR codes, multi-touch screens and more—be sure to surround the technology with an engagement strategy to drive results and make sure your investment pays-off.