Roadshow Event Planning 2021: 5 Questions to Steer you to Success
If you’re considering a truck roadshow for 2021, there isn’t a day to waste. Now is the time to start your planning. And that starts by understanding the fundamentals then building your campaign with strategic insight.
Right now, though, you might feel that any kind of event planning is unrealistic. We understand your anxiety, but truck roadshows are the most reliable, efficient and effective face-to-face options right now. Roadshows give you the ability to plan with confidence. They can be re-routed at a moment’s notice, so whatever situation you’re facing you’re always able to get your brand in front of your target audience.
In fact, in 2021 and beyond, roadshow marketing campaigns are the best way to deliver an immersive, face-to-face and compelling experience.
By kitting out a roadshow truck to your exact specifications, you can take a branded, experiential and Covid-secure environment to your chosen locations with both speed and agility. It instantly gives you control and eliminates worries about whether exhibitions will even go ahead.
Effective roadshow marketing planning helps you target key individuals and have confidence that even local lockdowns won’t derail your activity. You can also spark new life into your sales pipeline and brand equity. In fact, here are eight reasons why roadshows are the best choice for 2021.
And here are five questions to ask yourself to make sure you secure the largest possible return on investment when you’re planning an event roadshow:
1. What are your roadshow marketing objectives?
Before you invest in your roadshow, try to pin down the specific business challenge you aim to address.
- Has your pipeline reduced since Covid-19?
- Are you looking to re-engage with your existing customers?
- Do you have a product to launch, but no exhibition to attend?
Make sure you have a key focus that is easy to understand, measurable and memorable. But remember, too, that roadshow trucks are capable of solving multiple problems. So while you might have a primary aim of providing live product demonstrations and training to staff, you may also be able to include consumer events in your schedule.
Having your objectives pinned down in the planning stage enables us to create experiences that fulfill all of your ambitions. Dräger, for example, has a multi-purpose roadshow truck where all the products and imagery can be quickly interchanged. This allows it to seamlessly change between its Hospital and Safety ranges. With multiple teams making use of the truck, the ROI surged and the client increased the value it got from its investment.
2. Who are you hoping to attract to your roadshow event?
Event roadshows cut through the noise of a saturated digital space with memorable experiences and heightened senses. But one of your first strategic priorities is to identify your target audience. Different groups have different needs, and engaging your audience will need a specific approach.
Typical audiences could be:
If your roadshow marketing will target different groups, we can work with you on the best ways to design spaces for multiple audiences. We can also advise on the best truck for the size of your audience, even planning social distancing into your customer journey and providing PPE where required.
3. How are you going to engage your audience on the truck?
Planning, preparing and taking your roadshow to your customers is one thing. Getting them to engage and immerse themselves is an entirely different challenge. Consider the headline offer you’ll use to attract your audience.
Do you want the truck to inspire and educate your audience, allowing them to interact with products and understand them better? Or do you want to create something experiential, memorable and exciting that visitors can’t wait to share on their social media?
This will largely be determined by the themes, topics and content that are most relevant to your visitors. Understanding where your event roadshow fits in your customer journey is crucial.
So, too, is creativity. If you’ve got a new idea you’d like to try, our team offers the experience and support to bring your vision to life.
4. Which locations are best suited to your roadshow marketing campaign?
If you’re planning an event roadshow, perhaps you know the countries you want to visit, but haven’t yet explored precisely where your roadshow will stop. Or maybe you know the exact cities you’re intending to reach.
Whatever stage you’re at, planning your location is a key part of the roadshow planning process. Small sites, for example, might only be accessible with a specific vehicle. These details need to be known before committing to your schedule and roadshow truck.
But the beauty of an event roadshow is that we can go direct to your audience – wherever it is. As roadshows are classed as a freight vehicle, crossing borders in Europe is still possible. So, whatever stage of planning you’re at, our specialists can help you pinpoint the geographical locations that will help you achieve your campaign objectives.
Our extensive database of suitable sites gives you the necessary depth of understanding about your available options. We’ll even take care of the scheduling and booking of your roadshow locations. Our experience enables us to effectively manage difficult borders and travel with ease to some of the world’s most remote countries – leaving you free to focus your energy elsewhere.
5. How will you measure and maximise the ROI of your roadshows?
Event roadshow planning can only go so far. Eventually, your campaign has got to go out there and deliver – and our team will be happy to help you evaluate the best way of tracking your ROI.
We consider your ROI from the very beginning of your roadshow plans. We’ll constantly look for ways your roadshow truck could be used more frequently, either through more event days or by equipping it with multi-use functionality.
The NEFF Mobile Training Academy, for example, was used for both staff training and consumer events. Training targets were exceeded by almost 20 per cent, achieving a potential reach of more than four million customers. And our evaluation at the end of year one found that some sites were capable of holding three sessions per day instead of two. This significantly improved the ROI because it dramatically lowered the cost-per-interaction.
Another popular way to measure roadshow ROI is to implement data capture and experiences within a roadshow event. These allow you to understand perception shifts as a direct result of your roadshow experience.
We will constantly review the ROI of your tour and how best to maximise it, even once your tour is underway.
As with any event, roadshow planning takes time. If your brand or clients are looking to re-engage with customers or employees using face-to-face events in 2021, then now is the time to start planning. To find out more about how event roadshows could help to revive your sales funnel in 2021, contact Andy Morris today for a friendly, no-obligation chat.