It seems like there’s one nearby every weekend during the summer — a neighborhood picnic, a local arts fair, a classic car show, you name it. The nicer weather means outdoor gatherings and, very often, local business owners will be on hand as sponsors and exhibitors. These are fun events that can give you and your Training Center some great local publicity, especially with your appealing, lifesaving message about learning emergency care.
The U.S. Small Business Association offers some food for thought to any entrepreneur considering setting up a table at such an event:
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Research what events exist in your community and nearby communities.
Many opportunities are out there! Do a little digging and find the ones that work for you. As the SBA recommends, if you’re new to event marketing, you’ll probably want to start at the smaller end of the spectrum.
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Find the right match.
We don’t think there’s any event where encouraging people to learn emergency care is out of place, but you should still have an understanding of the expected audience. Figure out which events are likely to bring the kinds of customers you want to target. Start with an event that has a track record in the community since the organizers will be better able to give you an estimate of attendance and audience breakdown.
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Get the details.
Contact organizers to see what opportunities exist, such as sponsorships, having an information booth, or selling classes right on the spot. Ask about costs and requirements to participate in the event.
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Talk to others.
Find other business owners who have participated in the events you’re considering and ask them what they liked and didn’t like. Were fees and registration costs worthwhile? Did they get qualified leads or make a lot of sales from the event? Would they recommend it or not and why?
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Be prepared.
If you’re working a booth, plenty of advance planning is required. If your goal is collecting leads, make sure you have enough samples and literature to give out. Make it easy for attendees to give you their information, say by dropping business cards in a fishbowl or filling out a quick form. Make sure you have several friendly, well-trained, and energetic staff members to work the event.
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Assess results.
Like any marketing effort, you need to track results to see if the event was worthwhile. Set goals for each event and assess your results afterward.
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We’re going to add one more thing to this list of suggestions, and that’s to have something going on that makes your booth stand out and draws people in. For getting attention at trade shows, our own HSI staff reports that the LOOP CPR skills game is always a winner. We have really increased the foot traffic to our booths at industry shows and often hear that playing a few rounds of LOOP was the highlight of a visitor’s trip to the exhibition hall or vendor area. Our ASHI and MEDIC First Aid training center directors are reporting the same results, so if you haven’t explored LOOP yet, please visit our website to learn more about this one-of-a-kind, innovative learning resource.
Have you tried using LOOP at a community event? Use the comment fields below and let us know!