Meeting News - June 22, 2009 - (Page 6)

MeetingNews Research By Seth Harris sharris@meetingnews.com Event Planners Expanding Use Of Digital Marketing Tools Event and exhibition marketers and planners are according to Sun senior marketing manager Betsy peer communication and peer-to-brand communication. It’s less important to get attendees to opt broadening their use of digital marketing and other Hansen, who oversees Sun’s premier events. The JavaOne Twitter handle had 2,500 followers into something than it is to create a community so technologies to promote meetings and events to that people will at least start to have converpotential attendees and sponsors, as traditional by the show’s start, said George P. Johnson sations with brands.” event marketing tools become increasingly expen- vice president of client services, program Many digital marketing and event sive and digital platforms provide better measure- strategy and experience design Scott promotion tactics are free or much ment of the effectiveness and return on investment Schenker. JavaOne hosted 95 exhibitors Research cheaper than more traditional means. and more than 15,000 attendees. of event marketing campaigns. Sun Microsystems’ JavaOne marketRedwood Shores, Calif.-based busiWhile online advertising, e-mail and dedicated ing budget slightly decreased in 2009, yet Web sites are the most commonly used digital event ness software titan Oracle has used digithrough new digital marketing efforts like its marketing platforms, and direct mail and print ad tal marketing for the customer engagement campaigns are the dominant traditional means, for years and is fast increasing its use in its event use of Twitter, the show gained more impressions, some planners are using mobile messaging, pod- marketing strategy. Oracle vice president of mar- according to Hansen. Marketers, however, must be wary of promotion keting Paul Salinger sees digital marketing and casts and social media communities. According to the Center for Exhibition Industry media as the avenue for marketers to move from a saturation, said International Association of ExhibiResearch and George P. Johnson Digital + Exhibit one-way communication channel to create a two- tions and Events president Steven Hacker.“The line of demarcation between maximum effectiveness Marketing Insights 2009 report, based on a survey way dialogue with customers. “People who are coming to shows want to reach and loss of audience is very hard to define.” of 287 respondents, 15 percent of 110 corporate Traditional event marketing tools are more costbrand marketers and 19 percent of 170 exhibition attendees in different kinds of ways,” said Salinger management professionals use digital marketing as during a CEIR and George P. Johnson-hosted Web- ly today, but they still are valuable for gaining attena lead tactic when planning an event. Some of the cast this month. “With the opportunity to do vir- tion for an event and promoting special offers to fastest-growing digital event marketing segments tual events and use digital and social media, part of VIPs or customers, partners and sponsors. “The are Webcasts, which are used by 42 percent of cor- the job now for exhibition and event managers is to recipe for success is the proper deployment of difporate brand marketers and 36 percent of exhibi- create space for facilitation so that there is peer-to- ferent media channels appropriately,” Hacker said. “Some went away with direct mail, which tion managers. Social media sites are used Motivation for Digital Media Use generally is a mistake. Fifteen years ago, by 36 percent and 62 percent, and blogs by direct mail was poison. Now it’s a high31 percent and 36 percent, respectively. To increase the ROI of 12% quality product. You have to match the The survey also shows corporate marour event spend 5% objective with the proper tool. If you just keters have been slower to embrace digis Corporate brand marketers want a placeholder, that’s e-mail.” tal marketing tactics in event promotion. s Exhibition management/ As mobile technology becomes more Twenty-five percent of corporate responProduction marketers 15% To enhance prevalent at events, it is becoming a key dents always use such technology combrand reach/perception 12% promotional vehicle before, during and pared with 51 percent of exhibition marafter meetings and events. Keynote speakketers whose “messages are more focused er podcasts and pre-event video teasers on their specific events, where on the cor24% To best engage the can be distributed to mobile phones, givporate brand side the messages are more target audience 18% ing planners and marketers instant access fragmented because they are trying to to attendees rather than having their comcommunicate or market across a larger munications lost in an endless throng of audience at numerous events,” said CEIR 36% e-mails on the desktop. executive director Cathy Breden. To extend the reach of our marketing efforts “You have to think about who your At this month’s Sun Microsystems 60% audience is and who you are trying to JavaOne Conference in San Francisco, the reach, whether you are an exhibitor, exhibcompany employed a host of digital mar12% it manager or event manager,” Oracle’s keting strategies, including e-newsletters, Other* Salinger said.“You need to think about the Blog Talk Radio podcasts and large doses 4% overall strategy and how it plays into your of Twitter interaction. Sun used Twitter to *Measuring exhibit performance, understanding marketplace and overall marketing mix of a given event or a announce new exhibitors and sponsors, customer perceptions and better managing/executing sales processes sequence of events, and use the right tools who responded with reciprocal Tweets Source: Center for Exhibition Industry Research and George P. Johnson Digital + Exhibit Marketing Insights 2009 survey of 287 senior corporate brand and exhibition management executives to meet the right audience.” r about their participation in the show, MN 6 MeetingNews June 22, 2009 www.meetingnews.com http://www.meetingnews.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meeting News - June 22, 2009

Meeting News - June 22, 2009
Contents
Newsmakers
Collier County Insert
Meetings Spotlight
MeetingNews Research
Association Watch
Viewpoint
Construction Cites
Meeting People
Event Profile
Travel Dashboard
Dateline: Bermuda
Dateline: New York
South Regional
Las Vegas Insert

Meeting News - June 22, 2009