It started with a few simple questions — How can we deepen the industry support our show already provides? How can we grow show revenue on a sold-out show? What can we do with some of the companies on our exhibit wait list?
The end result was an all-new event and an expanded brand for the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor TradeshowSM (SHOT Show).
The day before the 2017 SHOT Show opened, their new event, the SHOT Week Supplier Showcase, invited industry suppliers to participate in a one day showcase highlighting the materials and equipment needed for the SHOT Show’s own exhibitors (industry manufacturers) to make new products. The target attendee base – the SHOT Show exhibitors – were already traveling to the show, so the attendance base was built in!
The Supplier Showcase was open for one day and was broken down overnight to make room for networking events. Displays featured tools, machinery, plastics, fabrication, logistics, metal extrusions, and other products and services used in manufacturing goods for the shooting and hunting industry. Most importantly, the Supplier Showcase made it easier for a whole new level of industry connections to be made at the show.
In addition to the pre-marketing materials that were sent to industry manufacturers, on-site measures ensured no exhibitor could miss the opportunity to meet with suppliers. Every greeter along the SHOT Show hallways directed exhibitors up to the Supplier Showcase. An animated invite, produced by CSG Creative, canvassed the digital screens around the show acting as a reminder to stop by the event.
As more industry-related events are launched around the SHOT Show, an expanded brand was developed called SHOT Week to more easily identify official events.
At the close, the Supplier Showcase ended with more than double the exhibits initially planned and more than triple the attendance. It was a huge success and a great way to further strengthen their industry.
Watch the short digital invite for the Supplier Showcase.