Face to face events are back with a bang this year. We share some of the key factors to draw the right audience to one of our events. At IHR we are known for our outstanding Talent Acquisition and Recruitment Leaders Exhibitions and Conferences, and with over 70 each year, we share some of the best bits with you.
A great starting point is to consider, the topic of the event and ask yourself: Does my organisation support the topic of this event? Will our products and services be of use to the audience present? Can we offer great value to them? If you have answered “yes” to those questions, then rest assured, you are in the right place. If you’re now thinking about planning and prepping, then follow this guide and use it as a checklist to ensure success at your next IHR event:
Will Your Stand be Visible?
You need to know how visible and accessible your stand will be during this event. This is a great first question as it could be a deal-breaker if your stand will be hard to find so it’s important to know this asap. Ask for any assistance from the organiser and view the stand as both as a partner as well as an attendee.
How is Your Host Supporting you?
Ensure your event host is committed to a comprehensive and personalised introduction to the delegates. How can you ensure this? Simply ask what their plan is, specifically, how often will you be mentioned to delegates and what kind of opportunities do delegates have to connect with you?
How Can You Entertain?
Enquire about event activities and gamification to encourage exploration and curiosity! With a face-to-face stand you will want to bring the most exciting look possible to all attendees. This might include games or raffles, anything to get to know the delegates better while spiking their interest. Know what the event offers well in advance so that you can plan and prepare for this.
What Draws Attention?
If you know that you’re at the right kind of event and have a good product, then you want to be sure it’s not your stand that is stopping the connection. Ask yourself, “what is attractive about my stand?” think about the user experience and how inviting your set-up is. Have colleagues test it and give you feedback to be sure that you are correctly representing yourself.
What Are You Bringing to the Event?
If you already have valuable content in the form of lists, data and research, this is a great time to re-use or recycle that information by simply framing it for the event. For example, the event was focussed on employer branding you might have a checklist, ‘41 ways to kickstart your employer branding’ or ‘The ultimate guide to getting management buy-in’ or ‘The 2022 Employer Branding Survey results.’ You know the audience will be interested in it!
What Are You Willing to Give?
Goodies and giveaways are always great! However, you need to give yourself time to plan and order items. Making it fun, create a competition with a genuinely attractive prize, the bigger and more impacting the better. Check out our article for more ideas: Brilliant Giveaways for Events!
What is Your Pre-event Marketing Plan?
Use your social and channels to highlight the event, where to find you and what you will be bringing to this event. Planning and strategizing for this is essential and leaving it to the event day may be too late. You should also ensure your event host supports your campaigns by providing visuals, assets, and exposure.
On the event day!
Be visible outside of the event through social channels and email marketing. This will encourage those who are at the event and those that are not to visit your stand – and always use the event hashtags.
Go direct! The IHR Event app itself allows you to proactively open chat conversations with delegates, just like you would at a face-to-face event. Share a valuable piece of content at the point or inform them of the game or challenge you are running throughout the event. Set the scene so that you can follow up, to learn more check out How to Ensure Success at Recruitment Events.
