Event Promotion Videos

Imagine if you will…

Let’s start by imagining you’ve booked space at a really big industry event, exhibition or convention. Three days of being totally surrounded by potential customers who may or may not be aware of your existence, or how your great new products can transform their business.

The thing is, you’re also surrounded by dozens (if not hundreds) of your direct competitors.

How does your stand … stand out?

If you’re one of the big guns in your industry, you can invest heavily. Size matters. Design matters. Quality matters.

But if you're not one of the big boys, you need to outsmart them.

And one of the best ways to do that is by sitting down and working out an event promotion video strategy for your business - after all, your event promo video ideas will have a direct impact on how engaging the end product is.

That’s where you can …

Utilise Lumeo’s experience as one of the leading event production companies in Melbourne.

Event promotional videos – before

We hope you’ve allowed enough time.

You should be planning on beginning to distribute the “before” videos about six weeks ahead of the event.

And given it’s best to allow up to six weeks for production of promotional material, you really should start planning your schedule as soon as possible.

Two things to keep in mind

You have a very specific target audience to talk to – the event management company you book with should be able to supply you with a list of delegates and attendees.

Your objective is to use these event promotion videos to establish yourself as a handy resource your target audience will appreciate

These are not ‘selling product’ videos.

These are ‘selling you’ videos.

What you’re doing is priming your target audience to continue opening your emails before the event hits.

Providing value to the reader is vital in these first videos.

Other exhibitors (your competitors) will very likely be emailing the same audience. You break through the clutter by providing value.

You’ve been to enough conferences and exhibitions to know what it’s like for your target audience. Empathise.

Promotional videos for businesses should be exciting! Get creative with how you present your first videos, as you may not get a second chance.

Here’s some thought-starters for subject lines and video topics

6 great restaurants within 5-minutes’ walk of the exhibition centre.

Secret all day parking options around the exhibition centre.

3 things you can expect to learn at this years’ expo.

If you’re an SME looking to make an impact and bite into the market share of the big guns in your industry, it‘s a good idea to put whoever is going to be the lead person on the stand, on video (or at least, have their voice on video!).

A well-scripted video will build celebrity and authority

All those lone delegates wandering around the expo will feel comfortable introducing themselves. They recognise you or your point team member; you’ve emailed them interesting information; you’re a friendly, familiar face; you’re an authority. Let’s chat.

How to become the expo megastar

The next step is to introduce more personal videos after the first couple of email contacts.

Similar to the subjects above, you’re still in the “becoming familiar” phase. At this point, your videos can simply be a member of your company “top and tailing” (appearing at the start and end of your video) an informational piece with a “see you at the expo” message.

Other options you may consider include introducing and interviewing a recognised industry authority (easily edited into several videos).

Or take your crew to the exhibition site and do a walk through of what to see and do in the locale.

These are just some thought-starters. But the objective is to be seen as a resource not as a sales person - the time for sales talk is when they come to visit your stand.

Animation, Motion Graphics or Video?

Or a combination of all three? Your first few event promotion videos should be seen as part of the whole.

Often something as charming as animation or as creative as a motion graphics video will create a very good first impression. But as you’ll see, this is phase 1 of 3, so these “before” videos should be seen as part of, and in context with, a whole campaign.

During. How to ambush or hijack the event

You’ve got their attention. You’re now being seen as an event authority.

It’s time to work it. Time to send out a video about a relevant competition or promotion you are having with a fixed time (preferably early on the first day) for the prize draw.

To win, they have to be at your stand at XX:00 am. Names will continue to be drawn until a winner is present. Done well, you should attract a crowd.

Video it. Send it out that night. Delegates like seeing themselves on video.

Next idea

Another thought starter. Tried and true. Get either your team leader or a pro journalist to conduct roving interviews. Ask a series of industry-related questions you can use both as your own content and potentially provide to industry media.

You’ve just become the unofficial media channel for the event (and the attendees you shoot will want to share the video via their own networks as well).

Make sure that one of those questions is something like “What do you see as the main problem facing your company (or this industry) right now?”
If your product solves that problem, at the end of the “interview” get them to your stand. Quick smart.

After the event. Follow up

If you’ve invested time, energy and money in the creation of your event promotion video campaign, don’t lose momentum when you pack up your stand.

Your sales team should have plenty of leads to follow up, but the marketing team needs to keep the videos coming.

A few last things

By now, you should have gotten the idea of what’s possible if you choose to dominate with a campaign focusing on event promotion video.

You’ll need a production company (like Lumeo, dare we say?) that is versatile and creative enough to handle all aspects of the campaign, and that can bundle all the different styles of videos into one package price.

Lastly, make your video assets available to the event organisers for them to promote the next year’s event. Doesn’t hurt to be given “special consideration” by these very influential people!