How To Properly Market Just About Any Event

5 min reading time

So I’ve got my big MDTX launch next week. It’s got a lot of firsts.

First on the East Coast.
First time partnering.
First one about medical device design, development, manufacturing, and commercialization.
First time sponsorship and exhibition drives profitability (versus ticket sales).
First time I get to meet Lucia in person! She’s flying up from Nicaragua to capture video.

I wrote an illustrative email to sponsors and exhibitors last week. Edited only slightly for length, these ideas may help you plan your own event, big or small.

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Subject line: {Name}, let’s win you some business at MDTX!

My favorite part of 10x (now with MDTX) is when someone tells me they got business out of it.

Well, that and the ????????????

Now let’s get you some of that new business.

The three most effective conference marketing tactics

So this is my sixth 10x. You might assume I built my audience by hitting my 350,000-member group repeatedly with emails.

Nope.

I built my audience: One. Guest. at. a. Time.

I really did email people individually from my Outlook.

I really did respond to every reply and recorded the outcome in my CRM so I could use that insight when I called on them next year. (Things like, “Oh, the baby must be one now!”)

I really did make the calls – and accept those that woke my wife because they thought we lived on the East Coast.

If you choose do that too, FANTASTIC. But it’s too much of us to ask or expect of you.

So here are three things you can reasonably do to bring more people to your presentation or booth.

#1: Send a personalized, limited offer via email.

I sent this email last week. It was hugely successful in identifying prospective attendees.

I know we gave you a unique code for your customers to attend for free.

But in the waning days leading up to an event, I find teasing prospects by saying “we have five free tickets available for the first five who reply” is more effective. That scarcity will prompt the knee-jerk reaction, “Let me get the free ticket first, then I’ll figure out if I can actually go.”

The benefit is you’ll learn who is at least interested in the event. Plus, each reply gives you a chance to interact with a customer/prospect. They’re talking with you. Take advantage of it!

#2: Share on your LinkedIn news feeds.

Speaker Arlen Myers posted this and tagged me. It’s gotten hundreds of views so far. Maybe throw in a #devicedesign (or equivalent) tag and an emoji for attention. You can tag me, other attendees (can’t wait to meet @Arlen Myers in real life) and others coming from your company.

Extra credit (and registrations) to those with employees willing to promote their company’s activity on their timeline (Great to see my company, @greenlight guru sponsoring MDTX next week). Include an image and definitely a link to the event. You never know which post catches the right eye at the right time.

#3: Use the phone.

Set time aside, say, two hours between now and April 3, and call the top 10 people you want face time with.

Say, “Hey, you’re one of five people I think would really get a lot out of this event we’re attending at the Meadowlands next week – even if you can only come for the ice cream sundaes or evening keynote and reception – because I’d like to see you. And I can get you free admission because I’m an exhibitor.”

The upside? An additional 170 registrations!

We have 85 companies sponsoring, exhibiting, or presenting. If you each bring just two more than you’ve recruited so far, that’s 170 prospects more for you and the MDTX family.

Shia LaBouef says, “Just do it!“

In closing…

To emphasize the importance of your co-promotion, which are you more likely to attend?
1. Events you heard about from an email, banner ad, or similar; or,
2. Events you heard about and then YOUR FRIEND TELLS YOU, “I’m going. Do you want to go with me?”

That social proof that your friend is also going is extremely effective. It’s done wonders for my business – and I’m just one person.

Multiply the concept by your employee count and enjoy the benefit.

So, let’s go get you that new business. The next 10 days will make the difference.

You in? Let’s do this.

Joe Hage
MDTX host and Medical Devices Group Leader
on behalf of your new best friends, Josh, Lonnie, Joanna, and Flo

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I hope you found that helpful.

Two related articles: Promoting your conference (from 2011, it holds up well!) and The highest ROI thing you can do.

And the reasons why 200 prospective guests won’t join me at MDTX next week. It’s the first time I tracked the reasons.

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