How did Marketing Zone help an energy procurement company grab buyers’ attention at a trade exhibition?
Simply stating that our client Data Energy provides energy procurement services to Managing Agents who buy energy for apartment blocks wouldn’t be enough to grab delegates’ attention. Supplies of electricity, gas, heat and hot water are just something that Managing Agents have to provide for their residents. We needed to find a way to create a stand-out exhibition stand (really!) with a powerful message that would get Data Energy lots of footfall at the Flat Living Live exhibition in London.
The big idea – Data Energy as gamechangers
We quickly realised that the magic of the service which Data Energy provides is less about what they do and more about how they help.
So the message wasn’t about the nuts and bolts of the energy procurement service. It was about Data Energy’s gamechanging approach which makes the life of a Managing Agent much better.
Generating a buzz, maintaining the buzz
Customer and enquirer records were de-duplicated and marketing emails were sent to different customer groups in the run up to the event. The emails provided clear information about Flat living Live and invited buyers to “meet the Energy Gamechangers” on the Data Energy stand.
Emails were also sent out to those who had visited the exhibition and the company’s stand immediately after the event to maintain their level of interest and provide contact details for those with urgent enquiries. In the meantime, Data Energy followed up specific enquiries from the exhibition directly.
Manning the stand
Data Energy staff were provided with branded t-shirts with the word “Gamechanger” emblazoned across them. The polo shirts showed potential buyers who was in the team and presented the friendly, informal face of the company. This welcoming approach was designed to create the same kind of positive reaction that the public gave to the 2012 Olympic volunteer Games Makers.
Marketing Zone provided a ‘Guide to exhibition success’ which the company used as part of their staff training process.
Branded stand with a clear message
The design of an exhibition stand is vital to generate face to face contact with the right kind of exhibition visitors. We provided Data Energy with a portable expanding pop-up stand complete with graphic panels. The imagery used the brand colours of green and purple to great effect. The key message of Data Energy as a gamechangers was both clear and intriguing, compelling buyers to find out more. The design ensured that the main messages were placed above counter height so they wouldn’t be obscured by display tables at the event.
We identified all the practical ways that Data Energy helps Managing Agents to provide a smooth energy service for their residents. Then we selected the gamechangers amongst these benefits and displayed them on the exhibition stand.
To demonstrate the depth and breadth of Data Energy’s gamechanging service we designed a rotating powerpoint slideshow for the stand. Images of prestigious apartment properties, which Data Energy supplies, were interspersed with messages about the key benefits of relying on Data Energy. This presentation provided instant credibility for the company, amongst people who were new to their service. It also provided a reason for exhibition visitors to spend more time at the stand, watching these marketing messages.
The company organised specialist expert ‘celebrities’ who were available at the stand to address the tricky energy topics that visitors need to resolve. We supplied an A-Board with a series of printed A-Board graphics to announce what was happening and when.
Due to the technical nature of heat supply, graphics were provided to label technical equipment. An easy to follow sales aids was designed to explain how some of the latest heating systems work.
Creation of a game to make conversations easy
It’s important to find ways to welcome exhibition attendees onto the stand. Otherwise there is a real danger that potentially valuable new clients will walk right past. So Marketing Zone designed a new game to make it easy to talk to people and get chatting about the real issues when managing energy in apartment blocks. For the Gamechanging Game we created a grid of game cards which all looked the same on the front, but when flipped over each card revealed either an energy service benefit or a common problem. Good outcomes were colour coded in green and bad outcomes in black. Attendees had to turn over three good green benefit cards in order to win a prize. The game stirred up a great deal of interest and provided an easy way to begin meaningful conversations.
Exhibition takeaways with meaning
To ensure all attendees would see Data Energy’s gamechanging message we provided a full advertorial for the exhibition programme which is read on the day and taken away. We focused on new energy legislation, at a time when the marketplace was grappling with the details and wondering how to comply with the law. We researched and provided a clear informative guide showing Managing Agents what they needed to do and by when, in relation to the new Heat Network Regulations.
New marketing literature was created to highlight services of topical interest, whilst showing the breadth of all the services from Data Energy. The leaflets focused on the latest technological energy developments as well as the onsite services which Data Energy provides. By highlighting these services Data Energy was able to demonstrate two areas where it exceeds the provision of competitors, by offering technical expertise that make energy procurement more effective and by providing a field force which supplements contractual know-how with on the ground audits and checks.
As well as the article in the programme and leaflets available on the stand, goodies were sourced, to make visitors smile. Dancing flowers powered with mini solar panels reinforced Data Energy’s green credentials. This fun giveaway reminds buyers about the company long after the event is over.
To plan for success with your next exhibition chat to Mark on 07801 419800, tweet @MarketingZoneUK or email mark@marketingzone.co.uk