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“ How can we support your group ; your community ; would you like us to share content ; passes to the show ; maybe buy a banner ad ?
“ Whatever you do , don ’ t gratuitously self-promote ; be organic . Become an authentic part of that community . This is one of the ways the show becomes a thought leader . I ’ ve found that there are a lot of people not in our database that are members of these other groups and it ’ s a great way to find other influencers we didn ’ t know .”
Swayze and her team also work with podcasters , who tend to attract a younger audience – and host proprietary Facebook groups . “ We both barter and sponsor some of these podcasters year-round , so TISE is mentioned in every episode . We make sure the podcasters are pro-trade shows – especially pro- TISE , have them speak at sessions and provide additional visibility at the show . The podcasters then talk up our event and their live appearances .”
My advice : pay podcaster and influencer expenses to be at your show . You don ’ t want someone who previously supported it turning on you , expressing their views about how cheap and unappreciative your show or company is .
Shared spaces So , you ’ ve enticed the Gen Y and Z ’ ers to your expo . Now what ? How are you going to ensure they have a great experience , share it with their colleagues – and return the following edition ? No matter how much we use tech , influencer marketing , videos and the like , the number one reason people go to a show for the first time is based on a personal recommendation . Our goal as an industry should be converting next gen visitors into life-long evangelists for our expos .
Nolan and I discussed her beliefs around being in a face-to-face environment and how important
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it is . “ Whether it ’ s one-to-one or in a group setting , there is value in being in a shared space , in person . But being in person means the rules of engagement are different than online . For example , in an online session , you can ask a CEO or executive a direct question in the chat and they ’ ll respond . You can ’ t quite do the same thing in person on a show floor . It would be helpful to have advice ahead of time navigating live B2B events .”
She likes events which incorporate structured networking and matchmaking and cited a couple : HubSpot ’ s Inbound Conference in Boston and PCMA ’ s Convening EMEA . HubSpot ’ s event attracts many solo travellers and schedules smaller events within the larger one to encourage networking and community building . Nolan commented : “ Those events featured a nice icebreaker making it easy to find shared interests and commonalities with others . Convening EMEA featured planned small group activities . It made it much easier to connect with other attendees , especially as a first timer .”
She believes events and exhibitions going forward should provide a “ safe space where we can go back to in-person , create relationships and understand the new rules of engagement .” When asked about what exhibition organisers can do to attract a younger audience , she suggested the industry “ offer an all-in-one solution . Have suppliers we can talk to solve problems and find solutions . Provide good educational opportunities to help us grow our careers , and lastly , have structured networking – small-planned group activities that consider budgets , time , etc . We like personalised options .”
Evolving event design Speaking of changing event design , Kowalsky shared the rebuild
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“ B2B can be fun . It doesn ’ t mean wearing suits – but does mean providing a place for visitors to advance their professional careers , network with others and find community ...” Joe Kowalsky |
and rebrand Emerald is doing with the upcoming Create NYC , formerly PhotoPlus expo . In 2019 , the average visitor age was 51 +. The last edition had 19,000 free attendees , a 6,900sqm ( 75,000sqf ) show floor and no conference education . This September , the first event since Covid , his team are actively recruiting 18 – 35-year-olds with a goal of 4,000 paid visitors , anticipate 930sqm ( 10,000sqf ) of show space , and lots of small ( 10-12 people ) focused educational sessions included in the cost of the ticket .
Kowalsky shared : “ We spoke with our exhibitors and sponsors . They want meaningful connections with our visitors and prefer investing in hands-on experiences rather than paying for large scale booths . Our focus with Create NYC is to be more festival and experiential – including photo labs on show floor – helping our visitors find great information , products , and their micro-communities .”
Create NYC ’ s marketing strategies have changed from “ selling tickets on social media to posting imagery , talking about trends , technology , and struggles with our audience . Engagement matters the most – I ’ d rather have 100 engaged people on social media than 2,000 who don ’ t care .”
Continuing he said : “ B2B can be fun . It doesn ’ t mean wearing suits – but does mean providing a place for visitors to advance their professional careers , network with others and find community .” I agree with Sydney and Kowalsky . As an industry , it ’ s imperative to bring young professionals into our exhibitions and business-to-business events . Between the Great Resignation and the Great Retirement , there are a whole lot of people in new jobs . This is the optimal time to add or rethink event design and programming to successfully attract Gens Y & Z .
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