Booth & Engagement Planning

1. Booth & Engagement Planning

2. Before You Start Planning: Educate Yourself • Before planning begins, familiarize yourself with basic conference information such as location, hours, target audience, special sessions or events, conference theme, etc. • Review keynotes, educational tracks, roundtables and topic based networking events to look for platform synergies or customer trends you can build an engagement strategy around • You can find this information in/on the / by…. • Preliminary Program (online) • Exhibitor Prospectus (online) • Conference Website • Competitor networking – ask other exhibitors or industry contacts about their experiences & knowledge of the event

3. Focus on the Customer Experience…not your own! GOAL: Research the attendees and understand their demographics RESULTS: TAILORED OFFERINGS TO CUSTOMER PROFILES Students Academics Professionals Career Enhancement (Certification, Career support, talent management, Self-improvement) Researchers Legacy Building REACH WITHIN YOUR COMMUNITIES TO… Build a strategy of engagement around the profiles Provide product & platform information Sell and market to any customer desire– even if it falls outside of your business area

4. Review and Redefine Objectives & Goals • Speak with colleagues in marketing, editorial, and sales to determine each group’s objectives and create a list • Ask yourself “Why” are we going? “What” do we want our customers to know? “Who” are we targeting? • Communicate and re-emphasize these goals to everyone involved in the planning process, especially those who will be onsite. • Take it one step further and create actionable goals for onsite representatives, such as: • Get 5 qualified leads by the end of the day • Have a conversation with at least 10 people today • Set a sales target of $500 dollars more than last year • Collect 25 survey responses

5. Booth Layout / Engagement Strategy • Work with your Exhibits Manager and community colleagues to determine booth layout. Come to planning meetings prepared with engagement ideas and armed with the research you have already conducted. • Consider the following: • Customer Experience – Map your booth to the customer’s experience and background - making sure that you are providing materials for every point along their track • Consider your product & platform demo / display requirements and space necessary • Define your Lead-Gen and Social Strategy - can you loop them together? • Technology – do you need monitors, internet, computers, e-readers, LRS systems? • The “feel” – is this booth cohesive or does it look disjointed? Think about the traffic flow from entry point to exit • Messaging/Graphics – do customers understand what it is we are promoting and who we are/what we do? Make sure all your graphics tie back to your central message!

6. Lead Generation Campaigns • Think about your LRS system – tablet vs. iPad (full badge scanning with cost vs. free app), or Content Interactive • If you are not familiar with the tech – ask your EM for a demo or review! • If you’re collecting leads another way, how will you consolidate them with what you have in the system? • Microsites: If you are building a separate site, speak with your EM about how to import those leads into the LRS system • Is there an incentive for signing up for lists? (raffles, free trials, books, or other content giveaway) • Is there set a number of leads you would like to collect? • Consider access requests and how to integrate them

7. Messaging & Graphics • Messaging is critical to a successful booth • Work with colleagues to create the main message for your booth • AOM used: “From EDU to CEO” • ASTD used: “The Best in Workplace Learning” • ACS used: “Do More Chemistry” • Ensure your main message or variations of it are consistent throughout the booth • Determine a color scheme that will also be consistent in the space • Graphics should be placed in clear view for attendees to see • Top-level messaging should always tell who we are—WILEY. • Always ensure no brand, product, or platform is at equal height to the Wiley logo in the booth • Product graphics should always communicate what the product is/does and how it will help the customer

8. Did you think about? • Activities – Trivia or guessing games, contests, Social games, socials, receptions, booth events or focus groups? • Speakers or Signings – author or invited speaker activities • Digital Strategies – using apps, e-readers, and/or tablets to show content digitally, monitors to display websites, or demonstrations • Mobile Strategies – using apps and/or QR campaigns (and ensuring scans link to mobile-optimized sites) • Social Media Strategies – support what you are doing on-site by tweeting and posting pre-show, at-show, and post-show. Work with the Social Media group in the MRC

9. Promotions • Are you offering incentives? This could be for capturing leads, filling out a survey, attending demos, or for simply visiting the booth and conversing with a Wiley colleague. Remember—this doesn’t always need to be expensive. Sometimes the best thing we can give away is our content! • Consider your promotional needs: • Posters • Postcards or invitatations • Pre-show email or mail campaigns? • Work with sales to pre-schedule appointments and demos • Ads? • Inserts? • Sponsorships?