Building credibility for your company can be a daunting task. Whether you’re a start-up as the underdog in an industry or a well-known household brand dominating the market, managing your reputation, building relationships and upholding authority in your space is a never-ending venture.
Luckily, for companies of all sizes, there are many ways to build credibility and raise awareness of your company’s impact in its space. One way in particular is through attending and speaking at industry shows and events. Pursuing and securing speaking engagements at tradeshows of any size is an excellent way to build executive thought leadership among your competitors in the space, current customers and potential clients.
In addition to having the opportunity to speak positively about your company, announce new product offerings and share forecasts on the industry at large, attending events provides the invaluable opportunity for networking. This chance to connect with fellow speakers and attendees holds the probability to increase lead generation for your company and allows you to build personal connections with other prominent movers and shakers.
To no surprise, incorporating speaking engagements into your marketing mix is also a chief PR opportunity. Dedicating the time to research reporters who will attend the event and reach out to schedule in-person meetings and invite them to your presentation will keep your company’s profile top of mind and at the front of the industry. Building media relationships through face-to-face meetings is extremely beneficial. Being able to sit down with a reporter can create long-term, mutually beneficial relationships quicker than from a phone interview.
Although there are countless benefits to attending events and pursuing speaking engagements, there are also challenges – challenges I’ve seen present themselves through the elements of “company timing” and the “vetting process.”
Completing applications is time intensive and, although an earned opportunity, carving out the time to answer thoughtful and strategic answers is no doubt costly. It is important for companies to assess their timing and decide if now is the appropriate and strategic time for their company to be attending events. For many start-ups, it can be too early, however, no situation is identical and you will want to focus a close lens on your priorities and objectives to determine when is right for you.
With the green light to concentrate on speaking engagements, the biggest challenge can be in the vetting process. There are hundreds of events available for every industry and product offering imaginable. Diving headfirst into the countless themes and speaking tracks can be overwhelming. Creating a clear and consistent vetting process for determining if an event’s speaking opportunity is right for your company will not only cut time in the application process, but it will also help ensure your time at the show is meaningful and beneficial to your business and communication objectives.
Below are several sample questions I’ve created to help vet awards and determine if a speaking opportunity is an appropriate fit. I have found these questions most helpful when visiting the event’s website and speaking to event representatives to uncover information not available online. I hope they help you in your next event and speaking research endeavor. Feel free to share any additional questions in the comments section below!
- How many individuals typically attend the conference?
- What are the attendees’ functional responsibilities? (Sales/advertising, MTKG, purchasers, etc.)
- What level are attendees? (Entry, coordinators, VPs, C-level)
- What types of companies/brands have attended in the past? B2B or B2C?
- What is the conference theme?
- What type of speaking opportunities exist? Are they panel or stand-alone opportunities? Is there an opportunity to lead a workshop?
- Are the speaking opportunities paid? If they are pay-to-play, what is the cost?
- Can vendors speak at the event?
- How many speakers does the event select?
- What are the desired speaking opportunity topics?
- What is the criteria for selecting speakers?
- What is the nomination process? (Online form, email submission, video, interview, etc.)
- What is the deadline for speaker submissions/nominations?
- Is there a specific format for speakers to follow when developing their presentation? (Length of talk, content, presentation layout, etc.)