Creative PR Ideas for Conventions & Tradeshows

Jun 28

Ashley ChalmersTips for Meeting Planners ASAE & the Center, meeting experiences, meeting ideas, Trade Shows No Comments

Need some creative ideas for public relations at your next convention or tradeshow? The ASAE Greater Washington Network recently held a PR Idea Swap at ASAE headquarters in Washington, DC, with content and planning provided by the ASAE Communication Section Council.

One of the table discussions during the event focused on convention and tradeshow public relations. Here are some of the ideas that participants offered:

• An association of builders held a live building competition on its tradeshow floor as a way to generate interest from the media. Held over several days and complete with awards for the best design, the building competition was a draw to the show floor and allowed the association to highlight the art of the profession.

• A special exhibit sponsored by the host association can generate interest in a tradeshow. For example, the association of builders arranged to borrow a well-known exhibit that had appeared in the National Building Museum for display in its exhibit hall.

• Special displays can help attract media attention. For example, SNAXPO, the tradeshow of the Snack Food Association, featured a display of the newest and most innovative snack foods, which is always a popular draw for members of the media. The display helps reporters by showcasing the latest trends in the snack food industry.

• Another creative way to generate publicity around a convention is to utilize a captivating theme for the convention as it relates to the organization. For example, an association of funeral homes built its convention theme one year around “Survivor.”

• A national association of museums generates PR by partnering with local museums in the cities in which it holds its annual convention. The local museums often have already developed relationships with the local media, and the national convention gives the local museums a chance to hook in reporters to a broader conversation about museums, while drawing positive attention to their own museums.

• Create something unusual and attention-getting on the exhibit floor – The American Industrial Hygiene Association built a “mock meth lab” in its tradeshow to demonstrate the health and safety hazards associated with meth labs and the role of industrial hygienists in dealing with these dangers after the labs are shut down. It attracted lots of media attention. On another occasion AIHA got CNN to feature a “mold dog” from one of its exhibitors, since industrial hygienists diagnose mold problems. The dog actually searched out mold in a television studio live on CNN.

What are some of your own creative PR ideas?