Show dailies take on many shapes and sizes. Whether we’re producing 500 copies of an eight-page issue or 10,000 copies of a 100-page issue, our goal is to create a publication that delivers value to attendees, exhibitors and conference organizers.

First and foremost, a show daily caters to its target audiences:

• Attendees want to know about schedule updates, learn more about speakers and hot topics, look for their faces in photos and read about sessions they missed yesterday.
• Exhibitors see the show daily as a means to raise awareness about their company among attendees, highlight product lines, drive booth traffic and stand out from their competition.
• Publishing a show daily can help raise a conference’s status. Conference planners may have thought their meeting was too small for a daily newspaper, or would not generate enough revenue to make it a worthwhile project.

Without a show daily, how do attendees learn about a session cancellation or speaker change? Can exhibitors with breaking news or a special event communicate this information to attendees? How does a conference share content to show non-attendees what they missed out on?

CustomNEWS knows a show daily isn’t the only communications vehicle at a conference. Program books, along with the recent additions of social media channels and mobile apps are all resources for conference attendees – but are they enough?

• Program books, sometimes printed four to six weeks prior to a conference, often do not include the latest schedule or current exhibitor list. Did an exhibitor miss the advertising deadline and therefore left money on the table?
• Mobile apps provide program updates – at some shows the app may replace the program book – but does every attendee bring a mobile device? What happens if the WiFi network goes down?
• When an attendee tweets about a speaker or posts a photo to Facebook, it’s free publicity for your conference. But do they know what the conference hashtag is? Is there more they could be sharing to tell the world about your conference?

A show daily complements each and every one of these tools in many different ways:

• Include schedule updates in the show daily, highlight them on page 1 and have distribution temps tell attendees to refer to the page with these changes. Add text in the program book encouraging attendees to see the show daily for updates.
• Print the latest version of the exhibit hall floor plan in the show daily. Updates and changes to the exhibitor list can be made up until the day’s print deadline. Create a paid New Products Showcase.
• Promote your mobile app on page 1 of issue 1 and include a Q & A about the apps features. But don’t stop there: ask your app developer to create a news section that incorporates links to the show daily’s digital versions and photos!
• Share the digital version of your show daily via social media, and encourage followers and attendees to retweet it. Remind attendees about the event hashtag and include a few tweets in each issue.

These are just a few of the many ways we can incorporate a show daily into your conference’s communications strategy – the list goes on and on!

Before you rule out a show daily, contact CustomNEWS today (info@showdailies.com or 240/401-6779). Tell us about your conference’s current onsite marketing and communication tools – and we’ll show you how to incorporate a show daily that will both enhance these tools and generate non-dues revenue!