Boosting Exhibitor Success: How Spielwarenmesse Utilizes socialPALS for Effective Marketing

Spielwarenmesse 2024 Visual
Spielwarenmesse 2024 Visual

Boosting Exhibitor Success: How Spielwarenmesse Utilizes socialPALS for Effective Marketing

Marlene Hösch, project director at the Nuremberg Toy Fair, discusses the value of socialPALS in simplifying exhibitor marketing. The platform streamlines communication, making it easier for exhibitors to manage their social media presence. Marlene highlights improved exhibitor engagement, better brand consistency, and the importance of using socialPALS in the long term.

Marlene Hösch - Porträt

Marlene Hösch
Project Director | Spielwarenmesse

Marlene, what does your daily routine at Spielwarenmesse involve, and what are your core responsibilities?

As project director at Spielwarenmesse, I oversee fair management, which involves both project management and sales for the event. My team and I manage all aspects of exhibitor relations and act as the key contact for this vital group. This includes recruiting new exhibitors, providing full support to existing clients regarding their participation, and developing custom solutions for them. I also handle our international trade show initiative, “World of Toys,” which takes us into global markets. A typical workday is hard to define since every day is different, full of new challenges and experiences. That’s what makes my job at Spielwarenmesse eG so exciting and dynamic. I’m always looking for the best ways to overcome any obstacles the day might bring.

What was the key factor that led you to integrate socialPALS into your communication strategy?

The key factor was our ongoing commitment to offer exhibitors the most efficient solutions for their trade show participation. With socialPALS, we found a platform that allows our exhibitors to promote their participation in a simple and user-friendly way. This straightforward approach aligns perfectly with our goal of providing exhibitors with tools to maximize their reach and create a successful presence at the show.

What marketing challenges for exhibitors are you overcoming through your work with socialPALS?

socialPALS has enabled us to overcome a significant challenge for our exhibitors: The time and effort needed to implement trade fair specific communication into their marketing channels. Previously, we provided ressources, but it was up to the exhibitors to include them in their campaigns. With socialPALS, this now takes just a few clicks. The platform streamlines the entire process, allowing exhibitors to efficiently run their social media marketing without tedious manual input.

Spielwarenmesse Aussteller Zielgruppen
Via a socialPALS campaign, trade fair exhibitors can easily reach potential visitors online!

In your opinion, what is the main benefit of the socialPALS campaign for the exhibitors at Spielwarenmesse?

The real benefit of the socialPALS campaign for Spielwarenmesse exhibitors is the streamlined marketing communication. Exhibitors no longer have to plan the timing or come up with storylines – we do that for them. Plus, we provide pre-written captions that they can either use or tweak, depending on how much time they have. The hardest part is often getting started, and socialPALS makes that first step effortless, allowing exhibitors to focus on what’s most important: their products and their customers.

How did you implement the automatic customization of posting texts for different exhibitors?

We customized the caption texts by automatically inserting each exhibitor’s booth number, which worked well to ensure they could direct their customers to the right location. We also generated individual ticket shop links for a specific group, but since these links weren’t widely used, we are discontinuing this feature.

What improvements in communication from exhibitors have you observed through the use of socialPALS?

Since implementing socialPALS, we’ve noticed a significant increase in communication from exhibitors. While some were already using their social media channels to promote their participation, many who previously lacked the capacity to do so have now become active. One highlight was the accurate and consistent use of the Spielwarenmesse logo, which provided unified brand presence and improved the fair’s overall image in the industry.

Did you encounter any unforeseen obstacles or achievements when first using socialPALS?

During our initial use of the socialPALS platform, we realized that it faced certain limitations when applied by trade show organizers and exhibitors. A key challenge was that only one image could be used per post for all participants in a campaign, which made the visuals rather generic. We understand that the platform was originally designed for manufacturers with specific products, where the option to replace product-specific images wasn’t needed. For this use case, it works perfectly. However, since our “product” is the presentation of the manufacturers themselves, we would appreciate a more targeted communication option, allowing for multiple image variants per post within a campaign. Ideally, exhibitors could even upload their own images to make their brand stand out more individually.

How crucial is the continuous use of socialPALS in ensuring effective exhibitor participation?

The long-term use of socialPALS is crucial for successfully engaging exhibitors. I believe it’s important to offer services over an extended period, especially since the trade fair only takes place once a year. Exhibitors face the challenge of juggling various organizational tasks around the event. Consistent use of socialPALS helps them better navigate these tasks and integrate the service into their own planning. Particularly for exhibitors with little experience, the focus is often on their booth and presence at the event. However, it’s equally important to actively invite existing and potential customers to the fair. The investment is simply too significant to leave it to chance at such a major event. This is where socialPALS comes in, helping exhibitors expand their reach and effectively target their audience.

How important is LinkedIn in your communication strategy, and in what ways has socialPALS supported this effort?

LinkedIn is a key part of our communication strategy as a trade fair organizer. The platform allows us to connect directly with industry professionals, exhibitors, and visitors, while sharing relevant content in a professional manner. socialPALS has significantly contributed to increasing our visibility on LinkedIn and integrating our customers into the communication strategy.

What social media platforms have been the most effective, and what makes them stand out?

We were surprised by the reach we gained on Facebook – the figures were higher than we had anticipated. Nonetheless, we consider LinkedIn to be more effective overall. In our sector, LinkedIn helps us connect with our defined target audiences more efficiently, as it is more suited to their needs. Although Facebook performed well, LinkedIn is still our top choice for our targeted communication efforts.

Are there specific goals or expectations you have set for the next campaign?

We’re aiming to engage even more exhibitors with our service and assist them in optimizing their trade show presence. We also expect that returning customers from last year will utilize the service more strategically and achieve even better outcomes. Furthermore, we’re excited to support new clients in executing their marketing strategies and maximizing the benefits of our service.

MedtecLIVE

Interview with Tim Spranger about the value of the socialPALS platform in an activation initiative for MedtecLIVE.

Act today and use your MDF more effectively!

socialPALS brings brands and retail partners together, creating a win-win situation that unleashes previously untapped potential. The innovative software solution simplifies complex processes through automated retail marketing and strengthens stationary retail through regional brand campaigns. Get your obligation-free platform demo today and become part of the socialPALS success story.

Our team is happy to show you the plattform with no obligations:

socialPALS – Europe’s leading software solution for local trade marketing!

Copyright 2024 socialPALS. All rights reserved