By: Kevin Winfield, Managing Director - Technology
The National Retail Federation’s Retail’s Big Show is a mere few days away, and those looking to exhibit and attend will undoubtedly be making last-minute preparations to ensure that this year’s show is a huge success. With over 6,000 brands from across the globe assembling in New York City from January 14-16, NRF remains an unparalleled platform for bringing together the industry’s brightest minds and technologies to enable attendees to embrace the future of retail.
As one of the largest retail events in the world, NRF presents brands with an optimum opportunity to drive media engagement and boost their profile during and after the show.
Securing Face-to-Face Meetings
NRF 2023 attracted over 300 international journalists and industry analysts and this year’s event is no different. Journalists from outlets such as Forbes, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal and more will be in attendance this year. Securing face-to-face meetings with these influential voices can significantly elevate a company’s visibility at the event.
With the event taking place in less than a week, you might be thinking you’ve missed the boat on securing media interviews during the event. However, the media are still finalising their calendars and are looking to fill their diaries meeting exciting and innovative companies that are exhibiting, so it isn’t too late. The key to securing these meetings is having something interesting to say and demonstrating your company’s value that will benefit the wider industry.
Additionally, hosting supplementary events or sessions at your booth can attract additional attention and visitors to your stand. Whether it’s workshops, product demonstrations or more informal drinks receptions at the end of the day, these activities will enable you to create more buzz and vibrancy around your booth and boost foot traffic.
Leveraging Social Media
Throughout the course of the three-day event, you will see a multitude of innovative new technologies that are impacting the retail sector. Whether this is AR-powered dressing rooms, RFID-enabled POS stations or shop floor robots patrolling the halls of the Javits Center. NRF is an incredibly visual event and you should look to leverage your social media channels on the ground from the event, sharing photos, videos and live updates as they happen.
Live posting from NRF, sharing updates, engaging content, and using event-specific hashtags can create an interactive virtual presence. This not only involves those physically present but also reaches a wider audience who are unable to attend but still want to be kept in the loop.
Post-Event Follow-Up
Just because the show is over, doesn’t mean engagement around NRF has to stop. Creating post-show content, such as thought leadership on key takeaways and trends from the show means that you can keep the conversation going long after the event closes its doors. Make sure you take the time to walk the show floor, and attend a handful of workshops and keynote speaker sessions to gauge what is really taking place at the show. This will help you create highly engaging content post-show.
Additionally, make sure you follow up with any media contacts made during the event, offering further insights and follow-up interviews to demonstrate that your company is one that is worth engaging with further. From our experience of supporting clients at NRF for the past 5 years, the event presents an unrivalled opportunity to establish and forge meaningful relationships with influential media, so you shouldn’t overlook the importance of following up with those contacts.
NRF is one of the largest retail events in the world and sets the tone for the year ahead for the industry. Businesses need to ensure that they consider their strategies on how to increase their visibility and drive engagement during and after the event to gain long-term value from exhibiting.
See you there!
The Jargon Group will be attending this year’s NRF and supporting our clients during the event. If you would be interested in speaking about how your brand can elevate its PR both at the show and in 2024 and beyond then please send me a message: kevin.winfield@thejargongroup.com
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