This is a guest post from Tori Atkinson, a car blogger for Car Finance 2 Go, offering affordable car finance deals to drivers throughout the UK.

The event marketing sphere is as diverse as it is lucrative – with businesses across a huge range of competitive industries going head-to-head in the battle to boost their ROI. But, as with any particularly profitable marketing tactic, output is equal to input and the recipe for success involves more than simply showing up and waiting for the magic to happen.

According to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), every year, the UK’s auto industry invests around £1.7bn in research and development and adds approximately £12bn to the country’s economy through manufacturing. This colossal sector is one of Britain’s most lucrative and competitive – making it equally challenging and rewarding to gain brand recognition in the auto industry.

From classic car conventions to global phenomena like the Geneva Motor Show, automotive events offer a prime platform for suppliers throughout the motoring world to showcase their brand and drive sales. With automotive giants like BMW and Subaru upping their event marketing spends this year, it’s clear this vibrant marketing platform is proving its worth even among the industry’s biggest players.

Today we’re giving readers a guide to making the most of every automotive event – whether you’re exhibiting on the trade show floor or attending in the hope of creating some valuable new connections.

Industry exposure

Chances to exhibit alongside the big daddies of your industry are few and far between – but automotive events provide one such opportunity. From creating an immersive brand environment to making a concerted effort to stand out in a sea of competing businesses, every aspect of your presence at a motoring event contributes to your overall success.

Knowing that you’ll be up against your direct competitors, bringing your a-game is key. There are around 2,350 UK businesses that define themselves as ‘automotive suppliers’ – with this critical supply chain generating around £4.8bn of added value every year – and this makes separating yourself from the competition an incredibly profitable move when done right.

State-of-the-art displays and immaculate branding are essential to doing your business justice, and utterly crucial to competing with the very best in your sector – so make sure to invest in high quality display materials which effectively convey your company ethos and unique product or service offerings that set your company apart.

Hands-on browsing

One of the greatest and most unique benefits that comes with exhibiting at an automotive show is the chance to give potential customers a real first-hand experience that will resonate with them long after the brand encounter is over.

A marketing campaign visitors can see, touch and even step inside guarantees higher levels of engagement than any static advert – providing a one-of-a-kind opportunity where attendees can try products out for themselves, whether it’s experimenting with in-car tech, checking out exciting accessories or even climbing behind the wheel of the cars themselves.

Many drivers are cautious about visiting dealerships, whether they find the environment somewhat intimidating or would prefer to explore the options at their own pace. Before your next event, make sure you’re giving attendees the facilities to browse in a way that’s engaging, interactive and, above all, memorable.

Social media hype

From Twitter to Instagram, the world’s leading social platforms offer businesses a quick and easy way to maximise their success at an automotive event. By sharing real-time updates throughout the day and engaging directly with other exhibitors during the course of the event, you can harness the unique power of these different channels and drive maximum footfall to your display.

In order to truly capitalise on the power of social media, there are a few tactics businesses should incorporate into their event strategy:

• Before and during the show, use any hashtags relevant to the event when creating your social media updates. It’s likely there will be an official hashtag conceived by the event’s organisers for both attendees and exhibitors to use – and by effectively working this into your posts, you can increase engagement and even attract potential customers
• If the objective of your posts is to boost foot traffic to your display, make sure to include your location (and, for bonus points, a photo including your branding). By doing this, you’ll make it infinitely easier for both exhibitors and attendees to find you
• If you’re using the automotive event to provide any limited-time offers to visitors, don’t keep this fact a secret. Social media posts are an ideal way to push deals which are exclusive to attendees – and these can incentivise people to take the trip to your display

As ever, an airtight action plan is the key to maximising your ROI – so if you won’t be handling this task yourself, make sure to brief your team thoroughly on the role they’ll play in driving brand engagement. Considering the incredibly fast-paced and largely technical nature of the auto industry, it’s absolutely crucial that your staff are apprised of key information – enabling them to tackle challenging expert-level questions with ease.

From contacts to connections

Whether you’re exhibiting at an automotive show or just visiting for a few hours, these industry events offer an ideal platform for creating new and valuable connections. You’ll be among competitors, potential suppliers and, of course, your consumer base during the course of the day – which makes your communications strategy a huge part of how your brand performs.

Make every encounter matter by taking conversations beyond regurgitated sales spiel and treat each back-and-forth as your most meaningful of the day. Above all, customers invest in brands they relate to – and by injecting a personal touch into each and every first meeting, your brand will stand a chance of permeating the divide between businesses and customers.

After that, all that’s left to do is nurture these new relationships in the hope that a passing brand encounter will convert into a loyal and lasting relationship.