Creating Buzz Around Your “BIG” Announcement

Recently, my company was a sponsor at the Red Hat Summit, a large open source technology event with 5,000+ attendees and 80+ exhibitors. We knew a conference of this size would be overwhelming and make it difficult for us to be noticed. But we had a plan to leverage a big announcement as the main attraction of our booth.

If you’re looking to create buzz around a big announcement or make your presence at an event shine, make sure you hit all these notes to make your event and the announcement a success:

Alert the Masses

Start preparing for your announcement at least a week before the event by giving your followers on social media a heads-up that an announcement is coming and don’t forget your partners, customers and friends! Connect with the media before the event and schedule a press release for the day of the event to ensure your announcement is fresh in the minds of the attendees. As an extra tip, having an exciting and slightly mysterious teaser can increase curious visitors to your booth.

Visually Engage

When there are thousands of people walking around with short attention spans, it’s important to catch their eye with digital media or signage. Create signage for the booth that points to the announcement and position them in areas with the most visibility. Distribute flyers with details of the announcement or a URL for more information to passers-by. Another great way to attract attendees is to have a giveaway or an activity for the booth to entice attendees to come and learn about the announcement.

Socially Publicize

It is important to stay active on social media during your event. Promote your booth while mentioning the announcement on social media and let attendees know how to find your booth. Make sure you’re using all your prominent social media platforms--don’t leave anyone out! Using photos taken at the event show followers that the event is a success.

Booth Conversations

Remembering your purpose at an event is key to getting the results you want to achieve. Make sure your booth team is fully versed on the details of the announcement and provide print-outs of the press release if necessary. Encourage them to use the announcement as a conversation starter instead of heading into a sales pitch. Make sure your team is enthusiastic about your company as well as the announcement, giving off positive energy.

Post Event Follow-up

Going to a large event and networking becomes ineffective if there are no further steps taken. Once you’ve made new contacts, pursue them in an email follow-up to remind the attendees about your interaction at the booth and how to learn more. The email can have more literature on the announcement or direct people to a landing page. Make sure you don’t lose too much time between the event and the follow-up; any follow-up should happen no more than one week after the event to prevent you from becoming a distant memory.

Large conferences and events are prime venues to draw attention to upcoming product releases, partnerships, and other company-related announcements. Even if you don’t have the flashy booth or elaborate gimmicks, following these tips can attract more traffic to your booth and brand.

Have a story to share about making an announcement at an event? Do share!