Over the years we have written a lot about healthcare conferences. In fact, there have been more than a dozen articles published on HITMC.com on this topic. Despite the growth of virtual events, in-person conferences continue to be one of the best lead generation and business development investments a company can make.
To help the HITMC Community I thought it would be fun to do a roundup of all the prior articles and add a new tip to each one. Now you’ll have all the great conference strategies and tactics in one place.
Squeezing More Value from Events
Key tip:
- If you can’t afford the lead retrieval system, use your phone and snap a picture of the badge of everyone who stops by and email them to yourself along with a quick note
New tip:
- Add an Instagram-worthy backdrop to your booth. Get a good camera. Take pictures of people who stop by and offer to email it to them right away. Now you’ve got their email and something to remind them of their visit
5 Tips for Vendor Social Media at HIMSS
Key tips:
- Use unexpected pictures (see new tip above)
- Share useful resources
- Turn interesting stats into punchy graphics
- Avoid using the word “booth”
- Stand out with random acts of kindness
New tip:
- Post the questions that your team has been asked during the conference. For example: “We were just asked if our solution can integrate with NAMED EHR. Good news: It can!” And include a picture of that conversation. If you can’t get permission from the person, then take a picture from far away or so that you can only see that person’s hand or the back of their head.
How do Marketers Justify Their Trade Show Spend
Key tips:
- Salespeople aren’t always natural booth staffers
- To maximize staff performance takes consistent coaching and practice
New tip:
- Get permission to record an interaction with your best booth staffer so that you can use it as an example in your coaching/teaching sessions. Nothing inspires like seeing a peer do something well.
Healthcare Tradeshow Checklist
Key tip:
- Create and maintain a conference checklist, organized by days/week before the event, so that nothing falls through the cracks
New tip:
- Expand your post-conference checklist to include getting at least 1 suggestion on how things can be improved from each member of your booth team.
5 Tips for Vendors Without Booths at HIMSS
Key tips:
- Leverage your attendee badge to have meaningful conversations
- Find partners
- Attend sessions where prospects are speaking
- Scout future booth locations
- Observe different booth attractions
New tip:
- Send out emails to 50 of your best prospects and ask “Will you be at the conference too?”. Since you don’t have a booth, you will be able to meet them anywhere, anytime. Plus, they will not likely realize you aren’t an exhibitor.
Last-Minute Conference Prep: 5 Pro Tips for Marketers
Key tips:
- Attend as many meetups as you can
- Search for sessions where your target audience will be
- Download interesting presentations ahead of time
- Plan on visiting media booths
- Buy coffee for a stranger
New tip:
- Strike up a conversation with people while you are waiting in line or riding the escalator.
Conference Posters: Overlooked Marketing Gold
Key tip:
- Spend time in the poster area of conferences to find case studies and gain industry insights
New tip:
- Read the stories of who is winning awards at the conference, you might be surprised to see your own customers on the list
What Conference Tweets Generate Engagement?
Key tips:
- Share photos
- Use your natural voice
- Use personal accounts in addition to corporate ones
- Time your tweets properly
New tip:
- Share a short video shot at your booth or around the conference. It can be a simple Q&A with a colleague, commenting on something interesting you saw, or even a helpful hint about where to find the closest Starbucks. Video is engaging.
6 Hidden Opportunities That Can Turn a Conference from ‘meh’ to Awesome.
Key tips:
- Conduct “hot topic” research
- Walk the exhibit hall and take notes
- Connect with speakers
- Get to know event organizers
- Make friends with larger companies with customers who are your prospects
- Visit local clients/partners
New tip:
- Find out where the media room is and hang out down the hall to meet members of the media you’d like to cover your story
Pitch Perfect: Key Insights on How to Get Healthcare Coverage
Key tips:
- Offer something interesting for the audience
- Personalize your pitch and make sure you get the name of the person & publication correct
- Be human
New tip:
- If you can’t get agreement for an in-person interview, make an offer to have the editor or journalist send their questions via email and you’ll provide them answers promptly. Schedules get full very quickly so offer an alternative.
Brevity Works, Product Briefings Don’t: An Analysis of HIMSS21 PR Pitches
Key tips:
- Keep pitches brief
- Sending story pitches 3 weeks before the event is idea
- Don’t send more than two follow up emails
New tip:
- Add an element of fun to your pitch like: “if you don’t want to talk to Mr. Smith about interoperability, he’d be happy to discuss the best ice cream flavors with you.” (clearly this would work with John Lynn)
Do These 5 Things Right Now to Get Press Coverage at HIMSS22
Key tips:
- Reach out to press contacts you know
- Look at editorial calendars
- Ditch canned pitches
- Consider the audience
- Make it easy
New tip:
- Make the investment to be at the conference to meet editors in-person. If you can’t get that approved then at least try to have a video call with journalists and editors during less busy times. When you’ve met someone you are more likely to read their emails.
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