In the last couple of months, our team, clients, and industry in general have attended or will attend major design events around the world. We kicked things off with High Point and Salone in Milan, then we move on to HD Expo, ICFF, 3DaysofDesign, NeoCon, etc. It is exciting, inspiring, exhilarating…and a little dated.
But how can the top design events be outdated? When it comes to creating product, brands are certainly future-forward, pioneers, trendsetters. But when it comes to leveraging these shows for actual business impact, why on earth are we relying on business cards and one-off events?. Let’s get into it.
At Salone, for example, an average brand can expect to spend a few hundred thousand dollars to showcase their products. The big ones will go well north of seven figures when it is all said and done (product, construction, time and company resources, staffing, events in the city, etc.). And when the show is over…what? Unfortunately, most brands just wait and hope people liked their collections enough to remember them. Maybe they’ll put my product in their project? Maybe they’ll want to feature it in their store?
Given the huge investment that trade events are, it is frankly a pity that brands aren’t using digital tools to amplify their impact and stay in front of relevant audiences throughout the year. There is a great deal of value in the visitor data collected during industry events, which can be used in a myriad of ways: email automations that offer different content based on the type of visitor (architects, retailers, dealers, etc), retargeting lists that keep relevant eyes on content we want to highlight, attendee info that can be used to target key companies or people throughout different social platforms…etc. To put it in perspective, while you might get thousands of visitors during a trade show, by using digital marketing tools you can get thousands of highly qualified traffic on your website every day.
From our experience and that of those whom we informally surveyed, only a small percentage of brands will send a follow-up email after a trade show, and an even smaller percentage will send relevant content in that email, that is, a prominent call to action and personalized content to the type of user. Most are relying on personal connections, which, while valuable, are delicate and subject to change.
We argue companies can and should use digital channels to promote their products to trade and consumer audiences throughout the year, using trade shows and industry events as a special showcase that supports ongoing efforts. While events are necessary and can be a great branding play, they need to be supported with digital initiatives that ensure direct revenue can be attributed to the investment. In short, they need an ROI metric just like any other channel does.
