Today’s biggest marketing and brand initiatives live in the smallest places — on-demand and in your pocket. Messaging and promotions fill newsfeeds, inboxes, and screens of all sizes with style, wit, and sales pizazz. Digital campaigns have the ability to be both far-reaching and direct. They’re flashy and information-rich.
They’re still not enough.
The Milan Furniture Fair celebrated its 55th year, welcoming over 300,000 professional guests hailing from 160+ countries. 2,400 exhibitors filled 270,000 square meters (over 2,500,000 square feet) of exhibition space with design, technology, and innovative products meant to define tomorrow’s every space, from the workplace to the kitchen.
Of the companies exhibiting, 67% said that they’ve made major investments into the innovations in machinery, R&D, equipment, and design being represented on site at the show. Major design movements, sustainability initiatives, and modern technologies can all trace their roots to the professionals brought together for a single week each year in Rho.
The Milan show is far from an isolated affair. As marketing trends skew towards a reality that’s increasingly virtual, trade show value and attendance over the past five years has been increasing. These audiences demand more than a shiny app or information-rich download—they arrive in search of quality service, memorable experiences, and real-time professional pitches.
Fortunately for both companies and customers, today’s on-demand workforce and technology offer essential support for high quality, temporary sales initiatives, and with a far more accessible price tag than ever before. Trade shows, guerilla marketing, and specialty on-site events all thrive with the right talent—sourced locally, quickly, and easily.
Here are four ways to make the most of your boots-on-the-ground marketing approach with on-demand talent.
1. The human experience is the thing
Trade show attendance has been increasing since 2012 — and is forecasted to continue. But why?
Despite direct engagement via countless other channels, brands simply cannot replace the value of face-to-face contact. Temporary talent and seasonal workers (think regional sales reps or freelance specialists from marketplaces like WorkMarket) support road teams, in-house sales pros, and executives at events to maximize contact and attention to every trade show or event visitor. That personal touch drives a brand experience that can’t be duplicated.
And when four out of every five trade show attendees carry some kind of buying authority, the in-person experience holds some serious sales weight—and deserves your undivided attention.
2. New products and services score the spotlight — and require support
Customers, prospects, resellers, suppliers, and competitors are all part of the trade show circuit, and each will dedicate an estimated eight hours to exhibits on site.
After all, with the dedicated time and effort already invested in attendance, it’s an audience looking to be entertained, educated, and wowed—especially by new technology, products, and services. From tech experts dedicated to keeping sales systems online to sales people poised to engage, on-demand talent keeps that audience focused and engaged with your business, all while leaving full-time staff to manage critical operations at home base.
The combination of key collateral and information with human capital like local contingent labor allows brands to present a smooth, powerful, and personal experience. With buyers coming prepared with research, information, and checkbooks, the personal touch is a must, because they’re ready to meet you. And on-demand talent helps you with more than building a buyer community by carrying your brand awareness into a B2B field of independent specialists in an efficient, cost-effective way.
3. Real-time data + real-time tech = real-time conversions
Just because buyers crave personal interaction doesn’t mean they want the pamphlets that come with it. As brochures and flyers fall by the wayside, brands can beef up the sell with professional, on-demand talent and instant tech. A well-curated team offers personal sales service and essential attention, while being supported by wireless access to electronic literature on-site. That means customizable sales experiences and satisfied customers — not to mention data capture for you.
Plus, booths are more than just Wi-Fi equipped. The sky is (literally) the limit with freelance tech talent added to the mix — tablets, drones, virtual reality experiences, customized displays, smartphone apps, and mobile order writing are all engaging customers and making the sale, right on the trade show floor.
4. All the world’s a (convention) stage
The Trade Show News Network reports that most attendees at a trade show event undertake significant travel to get there—many logging 400+ miles! Milan and New York are joined by major cities around the world—Chicago and Las Vegas being particular hot spots—in hosting tremendous, temporary gatherings of specialists ranging from the International Woodworking Fair to Comic Con.
To support these colossal productions, temporary workers join key brand players to create powerful teams. Local know-how, sales chops, and tech savvy from a contingent workforce streamlines the consumer experience and takes your sales team to the next level. After all, once your team hits the road, anything can happen—the best smartphone app won’t work without WiFi, and a virtual reality experience still demands professional execution.
Every show calls for all-in talent, and a lot of it’s local and on-demand. With over 150 events a year at the Javits Center alone, there’s certainly some work to do, and freelance talent can help you do it.
