Pro Tips: How to produce a show daily email newsletter the right way

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April 23, 2021

I remember attending my first trade show and waking up to a nice new 1-inch thick paper doormat in front of my Vegas hotel room loaded with content and even more advertising. I recall thinking, "There is no way they are going to drop a new one off every single day.” Geez, was I ever so naive.

These novels were intimidating, word-heavy, and just too much. Who has time to read the entire thing before heading to the show floor or joining sessions anyway? This is the problem with show magazines, especially as we "pesky millennials" become the majority of your attendees.

In short, the way content is digested today is very different from the way it was 20, even 10 years ago. When an attendee is at a show, they want something they can skim and then move along with their day. Daily, digital e-newsletters sent to attendees at the beginning of each day of your event provide an ideal format for busy attendees.

I get asked about show daily email newsletters a lot, so here are a couple common questions and best practices to hopefully help your organization with your virtual, hybrid, and in-person meetings (these apply to all)!

 

How do I determine the content to include in the daily newsletter? 

For starters, think about who is going to read it: attendees and exhibitors. 

As an attendee, I want to know the schedule of events, what topics are covered, and maybe some information to help me decide what sessions to attend. Basic schedules give you the when and where, but sometimes we need more pazazz.  

  • Take a keynote speaker for instance, you may or may not know who the speaker is, so include stories about the speakers, use pictures to engage your visually-inclined folks, and add an inspiring quote.
  • Make it easy: link the schedule if it’s a long one. The purpose is to inform, not intimidate. Make everything easily accessible in one place.

When I attend a conference as an exhibitor, I want new leads, so give me the basic intel! When is the exhibit hall open? What sessions are people coming from? What networking opportunities exist? Get exhibitors excited about the day and help them take advantage of the event for their business in the most efficient way possible. 

Pro Tip: Send one digital newsletter to exhibitors and another to attendees, so you can customize messaging and not inundate both parties with information they don’t need.

 

How many staff members write/contribute content? 

Association staff members wear multiple hats - especially around conference time. Usually, two staff members are adequate to handle digital publications. It’s likely a communications director, marketing or communications coordinator, and/or publisher is a good fit for this. Plan for one person to be in charge of reporting on day-to-day events while also taking pictures to include in the publication, and have another person oversee the content about sessions and the exhibit floor. 

Another option is to outsource and have a partner or third-party handle content responsibilities. The workload varies depending on your staff allocation and what you want to accomplish. 

Pro tip: Build a content schedule before the show, so that you can get prep work and writing done ahead of time and fill in any gaps as the show progresses. 

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Do sponsors or exhibitors/sponsors want to advertise? 

We see significant sponsor interest here at Multiview. Newsletters and show daily communications give vendors a channel to engage with your niche audience pre, during, and post-show. What better way to remind people that you are in the exhibit hall than to put your brand in front of attendees first thing in the morning before the show starts? 

Pro Tip: It's all about how you position the opportunity. Remember: Don’t give all the inventory away. Leave some space for your highest paying sponsors and use it as part of the package, but monetize the remaining real estate to create some revenue potential without having to make your show publication look like a NASCAR. 

 

Okay, Al, this all sounds great, but do readers actually engage with these? 

Engagement is generally higher with digital publications because of the tailored relevance to the reader. People want to know what is going on at the show every day, but they don't want to be drowned by way of information overload. Show daily emails’ purpose is for attendees and exhibitors to start their day with an understanding of the daily events and recap the previous day. 

 

In Conclusion 

A daily digital newsletter centered around your show can be a powerful tool for your organization, exhibitors, and of course attendees. It’s not as daunting as it may seem to put this together, given the flexibility of how a digital show daily lets you update content on the fly and make changes to any sessions or scheduling. Your readers will be engaged on a platform they expect communications from, and they will be happy they won’t have to lug around thick magazines to catch the latest from the conference hall. 

 

The Multiview team is proud to support more than 1,200+ associations by connecting them with their target audiences through digital media. As an association partner, we provide you with advertising opportunities to generate non-dues revenue to support the furthering of your mission. To get started launching your association’s show daily and newsletter email campaigns, contact us today. 

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