By Liz Stevens, writer, Plastics Business
The fall tradeshow and conference season is nearly here, and there is no better time than now for plastics companies to finetune their marketing and promotion strategies for these events. Plastics Business recently talked about tradeshow and conference promotion with Sherry Cudd, advertising and marketing manager since 2015 at Chase Plastics, Clarkston, Michigan.
Chase Plastics is a stocking distributor of more than 35,000 varieties of specialty, engineering and commodity thermoplastics. The company has a technically skilled sales team, as well as technical service and application development engineers to guide customers through the complex material selection and application development processes. Chase Plastics also provides services and options like blending and repacking, custom labeling, and core, general and custom stocking programs.
In the leadup to NPE2024, Chase Plastics achieved great promotion success – having been responsible for more than 1,600 pre-registrations to attend the show and exposure for its own booth.
Cudd shared some of the winning ways and strategies that the company uses to promote and market itself, and its thermoplastics manufacturers and suppliers.
The Big Picture
What makes up a successful Chase Plastics marketing campaign for promoting a tradeshow or conference?
“Promoting ‘early’ and ‘often’ has been the key to success for Chase Plastics when promoting tradeshows or conferences in which it is exhibiting. Chase has a multi-pronged approach that is scalable, depending on the size of the show and presence as an exhibitor or sponsor.”
What are some of the “must haves” in a campaign?
“Providing our sales team with tools to promote the shows we are exhibiting at is a ‘must-have.’ Additionally, promoting on our website and building a strong social media campaign leading up to the show also are critical.”
Who’s involved in the office, and what kind of Chase Plastics team members work on strategy leading up to and at a tradeshow or conference?
“For bigger shows (like NPE), we have a committee that includes some team members on the ownership level in the decision-making process. All shows involve collaboration between marketing and sales. The sales managers in the respective region choose which sellers and technical service representatives will represent us at a show. Marketing, events, sales and ownership collaborate on major decisions that involve booth design, budget, customer events and lead follow-up processes.”
How about a real-world example?
“We’re proud to say that Chase Plastics ranked #1 across all categories for NPE2024 pre-registrations through our guest pass channel.
We accomplished this through a robust digital marketing campaign, which was combined with grassroots promotion of our customer event and presence at the show during sales calls. We started promoting our free NPE registration code as soon as we received it in 2023, and continued promotion all the way through the end of the show. The pre-registration lead contacts were included in our NPE campaigns and served as a great tool to get visitors to our booth. They will be nurtured throughout the sales cycle, along with the leads collected at the booth.”
Key Tactics of a Tradeshow or Conference Campaign
What are some pre-show tips for creating buzz and getting on attendee agendas through methods like email campaigns, social media and tradeshow radar?
“Our website had a dedicated NPE page with a countdown clock, the most current news and information about the show, and our dedicated free registration code. We promoted our free registration code through digital marketing and by handing out postcards at sales calls. The sales team also promoted our NPE customer appreciation event during their sales calls leading up to the show.”
What about experimental elements, such as QR codes, live demonstrations or product catalogs/leave-behinds?
“We used QR codes on our NPE booth panels to help visitors quickly find our product line card and sustainable line card, without having to carry those cards throughout the show.”
What is preferable in an exhibitor space, in terms of theme, design, flow and drawing in as much traffic as possible?
“For the first time, we had a double-decker 30 ft. x 40 ft. booth at NPE. This allowed us to have a dedicated VIP area upstairs (with quite a view!) and a full (air-conditioned) conference room on the lower level that was able to seat 12 people. We had a great corner location in the south hall, which allowed incoming traffic from a major intersection. Plus, our 16-foot panels featuring the supplier logos that we represent were a huge draw.
Visitors were invited to play PLINKO at our booth for gift cards, and it was a hit! Everyone walked away a winner!”
How do the booth staff prepare for an event?
“For bigger shows like NPE, our marketing department will host training sessions leading up to the show. These are recorded webinars that give coaching on how booth selling is different from typical sales calls, dos and don’ts, what to wear, individual roles in the booth, goals and objectives and follow-up strategy after the show concludes.”
What works well for post-tradeshow and -conference ROI measurements, follow-up and other tactics?
“Goals and objectives are set before each show and are communicated up front to the booth staff. They are given real-time metrics during the show and a report card showing how we did upon completion of the show.
Our KPIs include not only things we can measure (i.e., year-over-year attendance, number of qualified leads, new business) but also things we cannot measure, such as deeper relationships with customers and suppliers and reaching people who have never heard of Chase Plastics.
Sometimes, a company says more by NOT being at a show than by being there.
All of our planning, execution and dollars spent are for nothing if we do not have a thorough follow-up plan. The follow-up plan is constructed before each show, communicated with the goals and executed as planned to help ensure valuable ROI. Part of that plan is to follow-up with value-added offerings, like invitations to technical webinars, vs. the standard, ‘Thanks for stopping by our booth’ email.”
Dos, Don’ts and the Overall Goal
What top dos and don’ts has Chase Plastics experienced?
“Do leverage those pre-registration codes into inbound marketing leads.
Do find a booth vendor to work with at multiple shows to build that relationship. We have a great booth partner who has supported us through our largest shows, and its ability to resolve issues promptly as they arise has been invaluable.
Don’t expect your booth staff to know what they should be doing if they haven’t been offered comprehensive training and goal alignment well before the show starts.
Do offer training as recorded webinars that will allow staff to watch at their convenience and re-watch if they need to.”
How does Chase Plastics position itself at a show or conference to “stand out” among other companies?
“It is not our goal to ‘stand out’ but to simply be ourselves by promoting our brand and the suppliers we represent at the shows. We have a diverse product line and are known in the industry for providing outrageous customer service.
We promote the pillars and core values that set us apart from our competition as part of our branding message. After 32 years in business, Chase Plastics still is owned and operated by the original founders – Kevin and Carole Chase – and that alone sets us apart from our competitors.”
It’s nearly tradeshow and conference season – make the most of it!
More information: www.chaseplastics.com
