EXPO BUZZ
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Exhibitors showcase their latest products and technology to attendees eager to discover the latest spa trends and solutions.
your idea to support their interests so that it’s always
exclusive to each media outlet.
Lola Roeh, general manager of Aspira Spa, doesn’t go to a
media event without considering who are the journalists
attending the event. “Know how your product philosophy
and services would be viewed by the various types of media,
whether that is TV, magazines or blogs.”
Cluff also suggests tweaking your “story” or “news” so it’s
slightly different every time you speak with a journalist.
Giving them old news bores journalists. “There will always be
similarities but making sure you stay on-point for their
audience or story line is important.”
Getting Ready
Don’t limit your time frame to the week of the trade show.
Most trade shows offer year-round marketing. Contact the
show organizers to find out how you can get involved in
publicity activities. Always take advantage of pre-show
marketing opportunities and check if the show has a
newsletter, media events or press releases they send out
periodically, and see if you can get your product included.
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September 2016
Schedule new product introductions or a corporate
announcement in sync with the show and prepare news
releases about your activities. Contact trade magazines and
daily newspapers with news about what you have planned
around the event. If you have a visually stimulating product or
demonstrations, consider contacting local TV stations.
“I start to come up with a theme for the next year’s event
right after I finish the current event,” says Cluff. “I spend
months preparing. Once I figure out the creative theme,
I start pulling props. For example, The Oaks wanted to
showcase hiking in the Ojai valley this year. I start
to assemble a pile in my office and as I get closer, say two
weeks out, I inventory everything and decide what stays
and what goes.”
Previous contact with journalists and the media can also
spark interest long before the event. “I love when I have a
journalist with an opinion on something,” says Fernandez.
“Through listening and engaging in an activity while
providing more information, they learn something new, and
then you have an advocate for life.”
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