Content is the key to sales success

Dear Reader,

Welcome to issue 12 of #SupplierPost(s) ?? - the biweekly newsletter with information and thoughts for MICE marketing and sales in a changed market. Yours Peter

With MICEboard, we offer a number of specialist sales events for international suppliers that are aimed exclusively at event planners from Germany, Austria and Switzerland who regularly organise events abroad.?

For example, the only sales roadshow in Germany that only international MICE suppliers are allowed to attend is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Events such as the MICE BOAT, the MICE PEAK have also been taking place for several years and are established industry trade events.

They all differ from all other MICE sales events in that they not only focus on the face-to-face appointments on site between supplier and buyer, but that they present all participating suppliers in detail in advance in the MICEboard communities and with content marketing and social media marketing measures in the industry's social networks. ?? This is unique because only at the MICEboard trade events are buyers informed in detail in advance about the participating exhibitors and can use this information to decide whether participation makes sense for them or not.?

I point this out because all other organizers of sales events lure their participants exclusively with the amenities of their hosted buyer programmes. These are mostly nice destinations, frame programs and free participation including air travel. The principle has only worked for many years because it provides the participating suppliers with plenty of business cards through the forced conversations at such sales events, but rarely with serious new business.

What actually brings new business for suppliers?

Are such sales formats therefore worthless for suppliers? Yes and no. They are a lottery in terms of actual timely business. But of course personal contact is very important because it provides the event planner with inspiration and ideas. Industry trade fairs are an ideal occasion for this. They tempt event planners to get inspiration and information while "strolling through the fair". Supporting programmes at trade fairs convey knowledge and ideas. Unfortunately, however, the exhibitors desire to collect business cards dominates here, too, instead of good networking. That is a pity.?

Based on our MICEboard trade events, we have analysed over the years what has actually brought business to our participating suppliers at the MICEboard events. The result is not surprising for us as a content provider and influencer, because the majority of the actual business generated by the participating suppliers at our events comes from the online publications that we make for the suppliers and distribute through online marketing measures. Put simply: content publications are the decisive step towards new business between buyers and suppliers.

Why is that and how important is personal contact?

At the beginning of every event planning there are two questions: the WHY and the WHERE. The first is answered by the briefing and the second is influenced by the concept idea.?

To answer these questions, event planners always turn to the internet, or more precisely, to search engines. And only those suppliers who have the necessary attention online are considered for possible business. Therefore, sales events at which the organiser makes numerous personal contacts are worthless in this respect, because the organiser does not generate any online awareness for his paying suppliers. That was perfectly OK in 1990 but in 2022 it is very bad.

Because even if the interest was aroused by a conversation (face-2-face appointment), this is always followed by further online research by the buyer. And if the performance is not there, the credibility crumbles. Alternatives are quickly found online that perform better.?

That's why online performance is the real sales driver and not the personal conversation. Of course, personal conversations between buyer and supplier are needed, but not as a sales argument. It's like an engine that needs petrol to run, but also oil. Online is the petrol for the sale, the conversations the necessary oil.

Online content is the key to successful sales

But what content and where published? Content should always be authentic and viewed from the event planner's perspective. Which information is valuable for which event planners and which is not. Then the content should be tailored to the different target groups. The content for an event planner from France is different from that for an event planner from Germany. Both have different wishes and needs, even if they plan events for the same occasion. Furthermore, the content for associations is different from that for companies or agencies. All of this has to be taken into account, which is why you should first do a good target group profiling and define the target groups very precisely. Only then can diverse content be created.

But where to publish? Do you seriously believe it makes sense to define target groups and then think you can reach them with the usual MICE media? Just take a closer look. Take a look at the distribution list of a MICE magazine. There you will find everything from wedding planners to mobile toilet providers, clowns, artists or event furniture rental companies that have something with "event" on their business cards. Seriously ask yourself, how many contacts from this kind of mailing lists are actually valuable to you? And also ask yourself how well the transformation of an established printed MICE magazine into an online magazine has actually worked? That's what they should pay attention to.

Publishing content online is easy, but worthless and pointless if it doesn't reach the right target group - the community. This is exactly why we started in 2011 to build up with MICEboard a target group of German-speaking event planners from companies, associations and agencies, mainly from Germany ???? , Austria ???? and Switzerland????, who all have one thing in common: they speak German language and regularly organise events abroad. This is a clearly defined target group - and a community that has grown steadily over the years. If you want to reach this target group of German speaking event professionals who regularly organize events abroad, you can't get past MICEboard! MICEboard influences decisions in this target group through publications in text form (articles on MICEboard), as video and audio formats (Stream TV and Podcast) and through personal encounters at MICEboard trade events.?

But MICEboard alone would be a rather one-sided solution, so it is of course advisable for suppliers to publish their content via their own online channels and build their own communities - away from the official websites. Influencers in the MICE industry, such as Sabrina, Sina or Irina who have all built excellent communities and reach relevant target groups online, should be actively involved. There are a few more, google them. We would also be happy to put you in touch with them.

Triple added value for suppliers participating in our MICEboard events

Our motivation for doing MICEboard events in the first place has always been that we can produce and publish good content for the participating suppliers. Therefore, this services are included in our participation fees:

1. Supplier content creation and publication in the MICEboard community.
2. Publish supplier content in the social media and networks and push it with social media marketing measures.
3. Participation in the live event, where buyers decide to participate because of the exhibitors and not because of the fancy hosted buyer supporting programme - as is common at all other industry events.

These three services combined are an optimal presentation of each participating supplier and create the best conditions for possible new business.?Participating in a trade fair or sales event where the organiser generates little or no media coverage for the paying suppliers is always a very bad decision.?

#SupplierPost(s) ??

This newsletter is aimed at suppliers from the MICE industry. It aims to stimulate, criticize and confront. It does not want to embarrass anyone, but to encourage out-of-the-box thinking. To have the courage to critically question the existing and to question methods of MICE marketing and sales.

It is not about right or wrong. It's about securing the future of an industry. If you are a MICE supplier, we would be very happy to hear your opinion on the topics.

The newsletter is published every 14 days and aims to stimulate thought with an article. Thank you for your time, we wish you a successful week!