The Toy Fair – Having identified toys and games as a key sector for one of our brand design clients we analysed the attendees at The Toy Fair and saw many brands that were on our target list were attending. Ahead of the event we connected with each of the brands that the client wanted to work with, and where possible arranged 30 minute meetings at each stall. If a scheduled meeting wasn’t possible, we were still able deliver warmer more familiar conversations, naturally continuing from where our pre-event dialogue had left off. 

TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference - For another design specialist, targeting the travel retail segment, we picked the TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference which took place in May 2018. Most budget-holders in the Travel Retail industry appreciate the importance of such exhibitions for agencies and are prepared to meet people in this environment to conduct business. With the costs inherent in a trip to Singapore to consider, we needed to carefully pack-out the clients’ diary with relevant meetings to maximise ROI - in addition to the ad hoc contacts made, they attended 10 pre-arranged meeting with brands in three days. The results varied from securing briefs to follow up meetings or ongoing dialogue, and in each instance Rainmaker will follow up meticulously through to conversion.

EphMRA – There are plenty of events for pharma brands, but EphMRA is probably the best attended by senior brand-side marketing decision-makers in the sector. Proactive outreach starts in April, six to eight weeks out from the June conference, with the goal of securing a number of short meetings with prospects in attendance. Unlike the travel retail sector, buyers are not at the stage of discussing supplier requirements let alone brief, so these meetings are more for the purpose of establishing chemistry and a rapport permitting a dedicated meeting in the future.

Baselworld – Several clients with luxury sector creds were keen to add a timepiece brand to their portfolio, making Baselworld - an essential date in the marketing calendar by most luxury watch brands - a tempting destination this year. But before encouraging them to book flights and hotels, we considered the real reasons brands attend: to secure retail orders, distribution and PR coverage for their new products. While there is undoubtedly scope for networking, rather than attending, we used the event as an engagement vehicle and talking point during our prospecting throughout March, and to arrange multiple meetings in April. Pearlfinders produced an excellent resource for anyone looking to connect with Baselworld exhibitors – The Top 40 Watch List – which profiled the marketing and sponsorship challenges and key contacts at 40 major watch brands to provide talking points and analysis. We took this as a springboard to inform our own conversations with brands before, during and after the event

The Market Research Society – For our research clients, the value of attending and speaking at an industry event is not in networking or selling on the day, but in the platform it offers for them to present their latest findings or reports. Peer attended conferences by The Market Research Society act as good launch events, but the new business return comes from the discipline and structure provided by having a fixed launch date in the calendar, impressive content generated and - as always - intelligently followed up to create meeting opportunities.