By now you have likely booked your company’s booth for IMS in Anaheim, CA, probably made hotel arrangements, and may even have taken a look at flight options. You are working with engineering and maybe some product managers to determine the products to be featured this year. You might even be preparing for the launch of a new product or technology. Yes, it is that time of the year.
It is also time to start planning your pre-show marketing strategy, to ensure that you build momentum leading up to the show and maximize your ROI. Effective trade show marketing begins months before the event.
Since the show is in May this year, the April issue of Microwave Journal (MWJ) will serve as our MTT-S IMS show issue. This allows us to get the show information and your message to attendees in a timely manner. Once again, this issue will be included in the delegate bags and distributed at the exhibition, providing significant bonus distribution for advertisers. According to a post-show survey of attendees conducted by IMS exhibition management company MPA Associates last year, 89 percent of respondents read Microwave Journal. The next closest competitor comes in at 70 percent and the rest of the pack comes in at 35 percent or lower. In fact, all of the questions in the survey relating to media preferences weighed heavily in favor of MWJ. You can view these survey results on page three of our media kit.
Advertisers in the April issue will also benefit from an expanded added-value package this year that adds an online component to the print program. Last year, we provided a 1/6th page “Exhibitor Profile” feature in the magazine for all half and full page advertisers at no additional cost. This year, the package will also include the posting of a product release on the MWJ home page. Each advertiser’s product will be featured for several days and can include a link to a Twitter account if desired. MWJ’s sponsorship of the Cyber Café adds even greater value to this feature, since the MWJ home page will be featured on every monitor.
Newsletters are another effective tool with which to reach potential customers attending the show. Sponsorship of the Microwave FLASH, Microwave ADVISOR and MicroView keep your company’s brand “front of mind” in the weeks and months before the event. Use the sponsorship to promote a contest, generate excitement or just to drive traffic to your booth.
MWJ will again be covering the IMS with a series of event specific newsletters. These newsletters will reach more than 50,000 industry professionals with timely information on the symposium, the exhibition, the venue and daily reports during the event. Coverage begins the first week of May with limited sponsorship opportunities in each newsletter.
Additional marketing options include banner ads, custom e-mail blasts, product video postings and webinars. Contact your MWJ sales representative to discuss a plan that fits your company’s pre-MTT marketing needs. Now is the time!