With some of the world’s biggest marine exhibitions just around the corner, if you haven’t got your plans finalised, what are you waiting for?
Southampton International Boat Show is the UK’s flagship boating and watersports festival for consumers interested in all aspects of boating, hosted in Southampton on the South Coast next month. And on the trade side, Metstrade follows closely behind (November), with the annual, global marine event bringing together the best of the leisure marine maritime sector and the most innovative companies, hosted at the RAI Amsterdam in November.
So, with just six weeks to go (until SIBS), what can you be doing now to make the most of your investment in the shows?
Shout about your presence
Tell the world that you are attending and or exhibiting. Shows are expensive and require a lot of investment – financially, from your resources and in people power – so let your contacts, peers, partners, suppliers, friends, family and even the office dog know you’re attending! Whether it’s through a preview press release for your media, newsletters to your contacts, a simple email or a series of content on your own channels, take the time to let people know.
Share updates on social media
Social media is the most widely used channel for brand promotion and it is free! Yes, you need to spend time planning your content, considering your tone of voice, key messages and suitable assets, but it is absolutely worth the investment. LinkedIn in particular is great for connecting with professionals, other businesses and potential suppliers, partners and customers. Facebook does still have its place, especially when building communities and for “local love” (engagement), so don’t forget about this channel too. The rest are optional and down to the level of resource you have available. Less is more here.
Where possible, try to plan your content in advance and for some easy wins, think about the following for posts:
- That you’re actually exhibiting – your stand number, location, what you’ll be showcasing and who will be there (& when if it changes throughout the show)
- Any new launches or updates
- Any offers or exclusives
- Behind the scenes content of getting your stand ready, sneak peeks, drinks
- How the show is going, updates throughout the show
- Any feedback, nice comments or just your general feelings from the show (afterwards)
Set up those meetings
Exhibitions are great places to do business and make valuable connections. It is therefore important to take the time to check out the exhibitor list and see who else is attending and/or exhibiting at the show. Diaries get filled up quickly, so don’t be afraid to reach out if there’s professionals and brands you want to spend time with, and to those you think you have something of value to offer.
Fill in your exhibitor portals
Something that really doesn’t take a long time, but often gets over looked is the exhibitor portal. If you’ve attended before, there’s a high chance your company information gets carried over, but that doesn’t mean it’s up to date. Take the time to review your profile, add your logo, add information on any launches or news releases and the correct contact information is listed. This is used by both businesses and the media, so you want it looking complete and professional.
Get in touch with the PR team
For extra, and FREE, promotion contact the boat show’s PR team – they’re always on the lookout for…
- Product or service launches
- Announcements
- Anniversaries
- Iconic attendance
- Events being hosted
- Anything new or different
… So be sure to reach out and let them know what is happening from your brand.
Quick tip, ADPR is managing the marine PR for SIBS and you can contact the team via sibs@adpr.co.uk! 😉
Finally, don’t be afraid to check out the show calendar, events diary and awards programme (for example the DAME Awards at Mestrade) to see what’s happening – there might be some cool events or educational panels, where you can learn something new or meet someone of interest.
At SIBS this year, there’s an AWESOME line up for the women in marine businesses panel, featuring our very own MD, Kate: www.marineindustrynews.co.uk/women-in-marine-announces-2025-panel-and-theme-for-southampton-show/
For some inspiration of work around previous events, check out how we “made waves” for another marine brand at boot Düsseldorf last year: www.adpr.co.uk/work/nautibuoy/
We wish you the best of luck for your upcoming event! If you need any help, support or advice, be sure to reach out to our expert team, via hello@adpr.co.uk or via www.adpr.co.uk/connect.