Trade Shows

With Congress getting ready to head into session on Jan. 24, The Road Connection – a nine-month campaign highlighting the need for increased infrastructure funding – is heading out on the open road.

In the driver’s seat are Curt Peterka and Andrew Gillman who will be traveling cross-country to trade shows, state association meetings, dealerships and everywhere in between to garner support and educate the public on the necessity of passing the reauthorization bill. (It’s only 844 days overdue.)

Over the past few months, we here at PM have had the opportunity to work with the leading sponsor (and brainchild) of this cause-worthy campaign – KPI-JCI & Astec Mobile Screens.

As part of this campaign, we’ve created a microsite where you can contact Congress (hint, hint), nominate a worst road (another hint) and see where the truck is heading next. Check it out at www.theroadconnection.org.

Along with the microsite, we’ve illustrated and designed all elements including the truck wrap, promotional items and much more!

Here are some photos of the truck visiting the PM office and at our kickoff event at AED Summit/CONDEX Jan. 19-20 in Washington, D.C.

Curt Peterka (left), Advertising Manager at Kolberg Pioneer, Inc., and Andrew Gillman, Public Relations, Performance Marketing (a.k.a. The Mobile Journalist). These are the guys in the truck, so wave when you see them.

All set up at the AED Summit Kickoff Event – Washington, D.C.

From left: Curt Peterka, Christian Klein (AED Vice President of Government Affairs and Washington Counsel), Lisa Carson (Marketing Manager, KPI-JCI & Astec Mobile Screens) and Andrew Gillman (PM Mobile Journalist)

Performance Marketing’s Todd Versteeg wasn’t kidding when he said that during a recent visit to Tulsa, Okla., he tendered the winning bid on a piece of art with legendary proportions.

The news was confirmed today when a nearly 7-foot-long cylinder box containing the larger-than-life likeness of U2 frontman Bono arrived at our front door.

Versteeg purchased the original artwork after being amazed by the lightning-fast hands of The 3 Painters, which at the behest of PM client Vacuworx International entertained the sponsors, exhibitors and attendees of last month’s Tulsa Pipeline Expo.

Set to music and described as “artrageous,” The 3 Painters also created colorful portraits of John Lennon, Frank Sinatra, Jimi Hendrix, Marilyn Monroe and a patriotic Statue of Liberty piece, each of which were auctioned off after the show at the Hyatt Regency Tulsa.

All proceeds from TPE’s silent and live auctions went to support the Eagle Gift Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides assistance to charitable groups that promote educational programs, protect vulnerable children, and lend a helping hand to those who have experienced adversity.

Inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, Bono solidified his rock-stardom shortly before his 45th birthday. Though the painting was met with mixed reviews, no one doubts that Versteeg’s procurement of The 3 Painters’ piece has bolstered his celebrity status in West Des Moines.

Or at least in the fifth-floor office space of Performance Marketing.

P.S. No Fender guitars or hotel rooms were decimated in the writing of this blog post.

Editor’s Note: Today’s post is a Q&A with Tom West, our master of all things print production and traffic. He recently went to an invitation-only conference in the Big D (not Des Moines; the other one) about the latest communication tools. Apparently, this is what he learned about event marketing when he wasn’t partying with the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. (We kid, Tom.)

PM: You recently went to the CGX emerge Conference in Dallas. What’s that about?
TW: The event is put on by Consolidated Graphics (CGX). It’s an opportunity for creatives, print buyers, print providers and marketers to share ideas, learn from and challenge each other, and collaborate. The schedule included four keynotes, 49 educational breakout sessions and a trade show.

PM: What did you take away?
TW: While the event itself was fantastic, the way it is promoted to its attendees is a great example of how to use a combination of platforms (cross-media tools) prior to, during and after the event to keep attendees engaged and to remind them of important information – like when to register, when to make hotel and plane reservations, what breakouts they’ve signed up for, etc.

Combining regular mail, email, personalized URLs (PURLs), text messages, social media and customized printed materials reaches people at all levels at which they communicate and provides opportunities to learn more about your attendees (customers).

PM: How was their at-show marketing?
TW: CGX literally “took over” the entire event location, the Hyatt Regency Dallas. Emerge branding was everywhere – on the sliding glass doors, the floor in front of registration, covering elevator doors and floors, on hotel key cards. Even the huge waterfall in the lobby was wrapped in Emerge graphics. Text messages were set up to auto-send to attendees welcoming them upon their arrival in Dallas and reminding them of events each day. Based on feedback from the 2010 event, CGX also had live Twitter feeds running on several screens throughout the event.

On the final night, CGX took over Cowboys Stadium, with a party on the field that included the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. Attendees were able to participate in games on the field, while a band performed on stage and a buffet dinner was served.

PM: Bottom line, what ideas can we learn from this example for future event marketing?
TW: While not every company can afford to conduct an event on this scale, it provides a menu of ideas that companies can choose from when putting on an event for their customers. A lot of the methods are inexpensive and easy to set up (PURLs, emails, text messages) yet provide even a small event with tools that can increase attendance, make the event more personally relevant to each attendee and improve results in the form of sales, contacts, and more and better customer data.

PM: What other topics did they cover at the conference?
TW: Breakout sessions covered topics ranging from print technology to social media marketing, new substrates for digital printing to QR codes, CRM programs to branding, and more. Presenters represented companies like Adobe, Kodak, HP and Konica Minolta, as well as CGX.

PM: Who were the keynote speakers?
TW: The keynotes were presented by some impressive names and companies:

Eileen Gittins, Founder & CEO of Blurb.com (On-demand creative publishing)
Don Pettit, Chairman and CEO of Mally Beauty ($50 million in sales since launch in 2008)
John Sabel, EVP, Motion Picture Creative Print Marketing at Walt Disney Studios (responsible for marketing Toy Story 3, Up, Pirates of the Caribbean 4, Tron Legacy)
Jamey Rootes, President, Houston Texans (NFL)

Tom brought home a lot of new ideas and inspiration not covered here, so ask him about the conference. If you need an unusual way to market an event, Tom’s a great resource. Thanks for the post, Tom!