The countdown begins! It’s time to start preparing for Aviation Week’s Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) America’s 2023. The show is scheduled to launch on April 26-28 in Dallas, TX. The upcoming event promises to be bigger and better than the previous year, as people become accustomed to live marketing events once again.
The show is intended for airliners, aerospace engineers, technicians and is a staple within the aviation industry. The previous year saw the return of tradeshows, with MRO Americas itself boasting 500+ attendees, exhibitors, and keynote speakers. There are great reasons to expect 2023 will be even bigger and better.
However, if it’s been two or three years since your last show at MRO Americas, you might need to catch up on some of the new event marketing concepts that are trending. After all, you’ll want to be prepared when you attend this award-winning tradeshow so your products and services land in the right hands.
Here’s what’s taking over the event marketing world:
Conference rooms and branded lounges
The return of trade shows has been gradual. During what has felt like an extended break from exhibiting, many exhibitors have had the chance to think of solutions for making the show floor a more comfortable place to do business. After all, it was not uncommon in previous years to experience sore feet from walking, glazed eyes from overstimulation, and general exhaustion from listening to sales reps.
Before the pandemic, vendors were moving to provide more conference rooms and branded lounges for weary business travelers to congregate and catch a break. Some businesses even provided a branded lounge away from the exhibit hall for extra seclusion. Others built conference rooms within their booth to conduct business with prospects in a more private space.
Experiential Marketing
Let’s face it. Your product is bad to the bone. It saves technicians precious time, increases the performance of the aircraft or airliner that it’s made for, and makes investors money. Since your innovation or service is profitable and useful, solving a vital problem in operations, you must find the right client who will appreciate your solution. And one way to attract potential clients at a trade event is through experiential marketing.
What’s that?
At the most basic level, experiential marketing shifts the emphasis from telling the client about your product to showing them the product through a tactile experience. It could be as simple as placing part of your product in their hands or giving a live demonstration in which they participate.
It’s quite true in B2B situations, where the products are large in size and services are much more encompassing than what the showroom floor allows, some adaptation is needed. Here are some ideas to apply this concept to larger events:
- Instead of bringing the real-deal heavy equipment, bring a replica made of lighter materials
- If you have more space available, consider staging a brief performance of your product and service
- Create a virtual reality (VR) program that puts clients in the cockpit or of your aircraft
- Use TV screens to add movement to your booth, play videos of customer testimonials, or demonstrate your product in action
Increased prep time for building exhibits
If you’re planning to build a custom design to make a high impact at any event, contacting your exhibit company should be a top priority. This ensures you get your materials on time and in one piece. Labor shortages, material shortages and shipping delays are increasing exhibit construction time by up to 6 months and more. This is a trend that nearly every exhibit house is experiencing.
Thankfully, the Trade Group builds everything in-house in our 185,000 SF facility in Grapevine, TX, helping us control the entirety of the exhibit design process from ideation to execution while, at the same time, allowing us to cut time and costs for our clients. It’s not too late to get started on design solutions for your booth space.
MRO Americas provides plenty of opportunities for both experienced and first-time exhibitors. Discover more about the 2023 MRO Americas show and other upcoming trade shows by using our trade show search tool.
Conclusion
Two years ago, MRO Americas was honored by the Tradeshow Executive as one of the top tradeshows of 2019. It was also the 2019 TSNN winner. For such a significant show, preparation is critical. The Trade Group has been active in staging, managing, and training staff for tradeshows for over 30 years. For more ideas on how to make an impact at MRO Americas and increase ROI, send us a message–we’d love to help.
The Trade Group’s custom trade show displays will ensure your brand makes a big impression on the show floor. To discover what we can do for your next event – whether MRO Americas, aerospace, or any industry – contact us here or give The Trade Group a call at (800) 343-2005.
