APRIL 7-10, 2016 Produced by
APRIL 7-10, 2016 Dear Strictly Sail Pacific Exhibitor, We have developed a PR/Marketing Toolkit n an effort to provide you tools and support for a successful show in April 2016. The tips and information in this toolkit will help you generate maximum visibility for your brand(s) before, during and after the show, and features suggestions to help drive media and attendee traffic to your booth. In 2015, we welcomed 206 journalists to cover all aspects of the show. Those attending ranged from consumer outdoor recreation to national business news - there to cover the product launches, new trends, spotlight industry leaders and report on the overall industry and its accomplishments. Both experienced tradeshow veterans and first-time exhibitors at SSP will benefit from the ideas within this toolkit. Important deadlines, online resources, and opportunities to extend your exposure are detailed within. If you have any questions regarding the PR and marketing opportunities outlined in this toolkit, please email me at ckarnes@sailamerica.com or call me directly at 401-247-0313 ext.108. I will be happy to help. Have a great show! Chelsey Barton-Karnes Strictly Sail Pacific Director of Communications and Public Relations 2
APRIL 7-10, 2016 I. Checklist/Deadlines...4 II. Media Relations...5-6 - Request the list of pre-registered media - Get to know the media - Communicate with media before the show - Have digital images of your new products - Set up and confirm media appointments - Prepare booth staff for interviews with the media - Know the official SSP camera policy - Follow up after the show III. Exhibitor Listing (free)...7 IV. Marketing Ideas...8-10 - Social Media - Attract buyers and media to your booth with pre-show outreach - Customize your online exhibitor listing - Sponsorship and advertising opportunities - Booth events - Media alerts - Post-show follow-up - Discount tickets - Complimentary posters 3
APRIL 7-10, 2016 I. PR CHECKLIST WITH DEADLINES AND QUICK TIPS Details about these checklist items are discussed in the following pages To request a copy of the pre-registered media list email Chelsey Barton-Karnes at ckarnes@sailamerica.com. The list will be available mid-january. Use this list to submit exciting press releases regarding your SSP booth, make appointments with the media for on-site interviews and to follow up after the show. Brand new/first time exhibitors to SSP 2016 should complete a New Exhibitor Profile Submission via Boatshow Manager early for more visibility on the SSP website. For questions regarding Boatshow Manager and ideas to enhance your profile, please email Sara Watson at sspsales@sailamerica.com. Review your free, pre-uploaded Exhibitor Listing/Online Profile using Boatshow Manager as soon as possible to ensure it is accurate for the printed SSP Show Directory. Information about how to log in and revise your exhibitor listing is the Exhibitor Center on the SSP website - http://strictlysailpacific.com/exhibitor-center/. Submit information about your tradeshow events (press conferences, celebrity appearances, autograph signings, prize drawings, contests, giveaways, happy hours, etc.) to Kate Stanley at cstanley@sailamerica.com no later than Wednesday, February 24, 2016. Our marketing team will be happy to help promote these events through social media, print and the SSP website event listing. Use Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to promote your company news relevant to SSP by including the hashtag #SSPAC16 in your posts. Follow @StrictlySailPac on TWITTER for the latest industry buzz, join the Strictly Sail Pacific Facebook Fan Page to exchange information with the more than 1900 members of SSP s Facebook community, and use Instagram to showcase your photos. On Instagram, use the hashtag #SSPAC16 to connect and inspire! 4
APRIL 7-10, 2016 II. MEDIA RELATIONS Request the list of pre-registered media. The pre-registered media list includes contact information for journalists who have been invited to attend the show. The on-hand journalists include a variety of editors and writers representing trade, consumer and business publications, both endemic and nonendemic. Please request a copy of the list by sending an email to ckarnes@sailamerica.com. The list will be made available to exhibiting brands and their PR agencies only. If you are a PR agency requesting the list, please indicate the company or brand you are representing. A preliminary list of pre-registered media for SSP will be available mid-january. (This list will only be sent via email.) Get to know the media. An editor or producer will be much more receptive to your story idea if it looks like you have done your homework and know what he/she typically covers. Look at each media outlet you are pitching to make sure it is appropriate for your product, see what the editor writes about and make sure he or she is the appropriate contact. If you don t have a PR firm or an internal PR manager (in small companies, we know everyone wears many hats), you may want to hire an agency or a freelancer to help build your media list and write and distribute your press releases. Please let us know if this is not in the cards for you and we can help! SSP works with Spin Communications who would be happy to give you their advice. Please reach out to DeeDee Taft by email deedee@spinpr.com. Communicate with the media before the show. If you have a list of media contacts with whom you regularly communicate, you should send them an email pitch about the product(s) you will launch at the show. Make sure to explain how the products being launched are newsworthy and provide them with all the information they need to cover the story. We suggest contacting them three weeks or more before the show to schedule a booth appointment, as the majority of media book appointments beforehand. Don t forget to tell them which area of the Craneway Pavilion or Marina Bay Yacht Harbor you ll be in and your booth number. Have digital images of your new products. Emailing media low-res digital images (72 DPI files won t bog down email systems) of one or two of your hottest new products is a great way to encourage media to make booth appointments. If the editor or journalist is interested in covering the product, he or she will ask for a hi-res image (300 DPI files). Set up and confirm media appointments. Many exhibitors book one-on-one appointments with media at their booths. Media is not allowed on the show floor outside of show hours: Here is advice on how to do that: - Once you have the list of pre-registered media, start contacting individual media likely to be interested in your products three weeks or more before the show. - Have your 15-second pitch ready who you are, what sets you apart, what distinctive new styles they ll see, and why they should carve out time to visit your booth. - Not all media attending SSP will pre-register, so if you already have a target media list, cross-reference it with the most recent SSP list. (If there is media you would like to attend, contact Chelsey Barton-Karnes by email ckarnes@sailamerica.com and provide their contact information to be added to the SSP Media Pitch List.) 5
APRIL 7-10, 2016 (II. MEDIA RELATIONS CONTINUED) - Many media won t book appointments at all, but say they ll try to stop by. (Again, make sure you mention what area of the show floor you ll be in and your booth number.) - When you have scheduled appointments with editors or producers, send a confirmation email to them two to three days before the show and be sure to include your name, booth number, booth location, your cell number and the day and time that you have agreed to meet. (Try to get their cell numbers as well, in case they don t show up or you need to reach them.) - Be sure to allow at least 30 minutes for each booth appointment and do not double-book. These appointments should be a time for you to meet with the media one-on-one so each can experience a personalized review of your line and, in turn, you can learn what products interest them. This will go a long way in developing productive relationships with media. Some editors may only need 15 minutes per meeting. - Be prepared for no-shows and media showing up late. This is just the nature of this well-attended show, as there is so much to see and everyone is very busy. Prepare your booth staff for interviews with the media. Prepare your booth staff for speaking engagements with the media. Your representatives should be friendly, confident, enthusiastic, well-spoken and well-educated about your brand. Ideally, they should not be distracted with advertising or sales appointments or other responsibilities in the booth. It may make sense to delegate one particular staff member who knows your product inside and out. It is a good idea to develop talking points for your spokespeople so they know what messages are most important to get across in a limited amount of time. Know the official Striclty Sail Pacific camera policy. Strictly Sail Pacific allows accredited media to take photos in exhibitor booths only with the permission of the exhibitor. Please read SSP s official camera policy below: SSP allows limited video and still camera use on the show floor. Exhibitors may take pictures within their own booths for purposes of company or annual reports, company media pieces, marketing materials, etc. Under no circumstances will anyone be permitted to take pictures of an exhibitor s product without permission from the exhibitor. Many products on display at SSP are innovative, one-of-a-kind prototype items. Exhibitors have the right to refuse the taking of pictures in their booths. 6
APRIL 7-10, 2016 III. EXHIBITOR LISTING (FREE) As a participating exhibitor at SSP 2016, your company will be able to add to the show directory and edit web information to help enhance your online marketing profile through Boatshow Manager. You have the ability to fill in detailed directory and web information including a brief company description, products, services and boat brands you represent. This information will populate not only the SSP Boat Show website, but also the Boat Show directory that is distributed to more than 25,000 people before the show in addition to the ones distributed at the show! For past exhibitors, an account has been created especially for you to assist you in all stages of planning and preparation for the 2016 Strictly Sail Pacific Boat Show. - Only the primary contact and assigned personnel will be able to access the Event Portal. - A password has been assigned to you. - To obtain your password, please click here and save the site to your browser favorites. - Once on the site, beneath the Returning Exhibitors select your company and select Login. - On the next screen please select Click Here where it states If you have forgotten your password, please Click Here ; you will receive an email with your password shortly. - Return to the login page and follow the above directions, but this time enter your new password. If you do not receive one promptly, please check your SPAM folder or please contact Stephanie Grove at (401) 289-2540 and she can update your record and get you your password quickly. 7
APRIL 7-10, 2016 IV. MARKETING IDEAS Attract buyers and the media to your booth with pre-show outreach. In addition to the calls that your sales force will make to book appointments, you may consider using social media and your own consumer email lists to invite potential and existing buyers and media contacts to the show. The more people you connect with before SSP, the better the chance you ll see them at the show. Spread the word about your Strictly Sail Pacific participation. Put your location and booth number on all correspondence with buyers, media and potential customers between now and the show. - Use Twitter to broadcast your news to show attendees and enthusiasts. If you use Twitter to promote your company news relevant to SSP, include the hashtag #SSPAC16 in your Tweets so they will appear when attendees search for tweets related to SSP. - Use Facebook to engage with the Striclty Sail Pacific community online. By joining SSP s Facebook Fan Page you can post comments, start and participate in discussions, share photos, and connect with more than 1900 SS P followers. - Use Instagram to showcase your photos and catch the attention of the SSP audience. - Review Free Exhibitor Listing guidelines and enhance your listing. Boat Show Manager helps show attendees learn about your company, brands and products before, during and after the show through your Exhibitor Listing/Online Profile. For instructions on how to login to Boat Show Manager, go to the page 7. - Feel free to send us the content to post for you! We ll make sure to tag your company in our social media posts. Sponsorship and Advertising Opportunities: Advertising and sponsorships at tradeshows are proven to increase brand awareness, educate buyers, heighten product visibility and generate leads. SSP is more than just a tradeshow; it offers several outreach opportunities including media, advertising and sponsorship to maximize your exposure to the industry before, during and after the show. These outreach opportunities will help you stand apart from your competition and strengthen your messages to key buyers and the media. For a list of SSP sponsorship opportunities, please download the Sponsorship Opportunities guide from stricltysailpacific.com. SSP has programs to fit every budget, so contact Sara Watson, Sales Director via phone at 401-289-2540 ext. 4 or by email sspsales@sailamerica.com for more information. Booth Events Booth events can help create buzz and draw traffic to your booth. Suggestions for booth events include: product demos, product giveaways, raffles, contests, celebrity guests, book or poster signings, etc. Be sure your event is included in the SSP s Schedule of Events. Submit the requested information to Kate Stanley at cstanley@sailamerica.com by Wednesday, February 11, 2016. Media Alerts You can send your own media alert to your press contacts. (A media alert is traditionally a one page document that tells media the Who, What, Where, When and Why of an upcoming event.) It s best to email media alerts about a week before your scheduled event. Reminder: Don t send email blasts to the SSP attending media list. Post-show follow-up In your follow-up with all leads, send thank you notes to existing and potential buyers and the media, send them a recap of how successful the show was for you, and remind them of what they saw at your booth. 8
APRIL 7-10, 2016 (IV. MARKETING IDEAS CONTINUED) Place a Banner on your Website We ve done the work, so you don t have to. Click on the size you would like to use below and save one of these web banners in the size that works best on your existing website or in your email signature and let the image do the talking for you. Tell your world you ll be at Strictly Sail Pacific. (Dimensions in pixels and listed as width x height). 728 90 pixels 300 250 pixels 258 59 pixels 160 600 pixels Order Your Discounted Exhibitor Guest Tickets (EGT's) Exhibitor Guest Tickets are a great way to make your most promising customers feel like a VIP. Sending someone a EGT gives them admission to the show as your special guest, and you only get charged for half the face-value of any tickets you provide which are redeemed at the gate. Send someone a EGT and they didn t use it no charge to you! Send someone a ticket and they use it half the face value of the ticket is billed to you after the show and you have a customer feeling spoiled. Use Boatshow Manager to order and call our office at 401-289-2540 with any questions. Discount Ticket Links - Use our existing $2 off coupon link or have a custom discount ticket link created just for you and help your contacts save money on their pre-show online ticket sales this year. Links can be a great addition to email campaigns, websites, or newsletters. Your customers can download a SAVE $2 Coupon (available on the SSP website in February 2016) or contact ckarnes@sailamerica.com to get your custom link created today. 9
APRIL 7-10, 2016 IV. MARKETING IDEAS CONTINUED Order Posters - Print and display a FREE beautiful show poster at your workplace or send them to your dealers to display or give us a call and we will send you a complimentary poster. Take advantage of the foot traffic you have in your brick and mortar locations to increase the foot traffic at your booth space at the show. You can download your printable 24"x36" Strictly Sail Pacific poster from the SSP website (available on the SSP website in February 2016) or by clicking the image below. Let Everyone Know You ll Be There - Utilize our existing See Us At Strictly Sail Pacific buttons on email, printed and social marketing communications. SEE US AT Craneway Pavilion & Marina SEE US AT Craneway Pavilion & Marina Strictly Sail Pacific Strictly Sail Pacific SEE US AT Craneway Pavilion & Marina SEE US AT Craneway Pavilion & Marina Strictly Sail Pacific Strictly Sail Pacific Enjoy The Show! 10