Many companies choose industry tradeshows as the platform from which to launch new products and services, and to make significant announcements. Tradeshows are a good forum because they typically bring together key influencers, media, analysts and customers all under one roof. But what happens when a company wants to debut a new product at a tradeshow and they aren’t the biggest or most highly regarded in the market. How do they break through the noise?

First, take a few minutes to seriously consider the timing of your announcement. If there will be large companies or market leaders present at the event – ones that may be swirling in rampant media rumor and speculation – maybe an opening-day announcement isn’t the best course of action. To avoid the abundance of announcements that normally occur on opening day of a tradeshow, some companies will opt for a pre-show or day-two announcement instead.  

Planning, as we’ve discussed in previous posts, is a key part of this equation. A good plan will go a long way in helping companies break through the media clutter and buzz. To begin, carefully examine your objectives for the show. Do you want to drive awareness of your product? Reconnect with media? Engage with customers? By clearly defining your objectives, you can better shape and design the appropriate execution strategy at the show.

Next, make sure that your key messages are clearly defined and that those messages are consistent across all collateral for the show, including press releases, FAQ documents, presentations, media takeaways and any verbal discussions or presentations in which your team participates.

Determine your strategy. Maybe it’s a traditional block-and-tackle PR approach with a press release and media briefings. Perhaps you can host a sneak-peek event or analyst dinner, provide product demos or conduct an onsite reviewer’s workshop. The track you follow should convey your information in a compelling way that provides a win-win situation for both your company and your key influencers. You and your company should also look for creative ways to partner with conference organizers. Consider investigating opportunities to work together to build a custom mobile application, if that’s your company’s forte, that is designed specifically for the conference. This partnership approach can help raise the company’s profile, drive buzz and generate goodwill with event sponsors.

Finally, implement a social media component to your plan. Many media members are savvy when it comes to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other sites, so don’t forsake these mediums in your strategy. Social media is also a great place to alert and connect with customers who may be causally paying attention to news coming from the show. Make sure to tweet and post any announcements you make, monitor related conversations and respond to people – general consumers and media – if they ask any questions. Even consider making a video of your announcement featuring your spokesperson providing an overview or demo, and post the links on your respective social media sites.

If you’re planning an announcement at any of the big upcoming shows such as Mobile World Congress or CTIA Wireless, we wish you the best of luck! Tradeshow preparation is a lot of hard work, but the payoff is almost always worth the effort.