Digital Thoughts – California Here I come!

In a few days, a great many of us will congregate in San Francisco for Ad:Tech. It used to be that going to Ad:Tech meant time off and drinking more than one should on “work nights.” The events of old simply didn’t feel like work, and during the dot-com bust especially, the small attendance and abundance of search exhibitors made many of us, not necessarily question why we went but, feel slightly guilty for giving up work to attend. For better or worse this feeling has all but disappeared. Last year marked the immergence of our industry as a physical presence and not just as floor mongers. Given that our segment has matured and the attention it received increased sharply, the “all fun and games approach” no longer works. Now, rather than simply being awkward time off, Ad:Tech has become a strategic and tactical operation. Going to Ad:Tech? Of course. Getting ready – not that simple.

Thanks in no small part to the attention provided from increased capital investments and almost non-stop articles on the abundant health of online advertising, we went from never considering a booth to almost being required to have a booth. The favorites of our space who broke the ice by exhibiting last year are now joined by countless others, each looking to make a splash in their own way. Getting attention at Ad:Tech has become more difficult, partly as a function of the event getting bigger no doubt. There are a limited number of sponsorships, some seemingly reserved indefinitely; meaning companies must resort to other means for attention. Do you hire models to walk around the floor? Do you try and do a better giveaway? Do you park a really large limo outside and drive to all the parties in it? Do you put on a party of your own even if it means competing with the “official party” or those receiving more press?

Assuming that you have figured out how to make your company presence known, how will you staff your booth? Not only will you have a mixture of experienced and inexperienced people at the show, but you also need to coordinate meeting schedules, setup and teardown. In addition to determining who works the booth, how many at one time also matters. Have too few and the booth looks empty. Have too many and it might scare clients away. Once you have that all figured out, what will have your team wear? Crank that decision out and order the clothing, you still need to determine what literature to display. Generally, the marketing slicks sneak up on those in our space, as most have never employed a full-time marketing and communications person. Almost surely to slip the mind too are the tchotchkes. What in the world do you give away that balances silly with memorable plus useful and affordable… and should you let that old guy who only comes for the trinkets have one? Certainly by this time, most are thinking that walking the floor was so much less stressful. They’re hoping their booth staff answers knowledgably and are trying not to be too disappointed if only a handful of people stop by.

Hoping that you have figured out, not only who should go, but when they should work, where they will stay, and what to give out at your booth, you must also determine what to do during the still-all important nightlife. True to form, some will continue to go only in pursuit of a good time, but more and more, we see people trying to plan their night out strategically. Who can I meet… who must I see, is what these people are thinking. Unlike other shows, there now feels as though some unwritten etiquette exists, a concept generally foreign to those used to being scoffed at by the mainstream presenters. However, given that your company shares funding with those who previously scoffed, you not only get invited to their events, you get invited to overlapping events.

All told, there is no right or wrong way to spend your time at Ad:Tech. Well, there probably is, but given the level of complexity now involved, better to think on the positive. Whether you chose to do dinners or parties, to see new clients versus old – that we even have these problems is a good thing. Plan as you will, chances are most of you will abandon them mid-way through. Don’t worry – everybody else will too. Like you, they will try to see those they need to see, but they’ll spend the rest of the time finding the place with the best open bar. Just see if you can avoid booth duty the next day at 9am.