Maximize Tradeshow Attendee and Exhibitor Interaction with Bluetooth Proximity Marketing

PRLog (Press Release) - Oct 27, 2009 -
Atlanta, GA USA - While the recession has markedly impacted the trade show and events industry, the fact remains that the percentage of high-quality attendees (buyers and influencers) at industry events is reaching record levels.  And, exhibitors are monitoring their participation expenses, ROI, booth traffic, and interaction with event attendees as never before.   For the first time, a proven technology perfected in Europe is now available to North American event organizers and exhibitors.

“Increasing the quality of the face-to-face interaction experience between attendees, exhibitors, and the show organizer has always been a critical aspect of any event, whether a consumer event or a trade show”, says Mark Simmering, Managing Director of InterMarket Global™.  “Our proximity marketing technology, provided by The Mobile Xperience, allows organizers to offer rich, real-time messaging (at no cost to recipients) to practically every attendee having a Bluetooth enabled mobile phone.  Latest statistics indicate that 70% of mobile phone/ PDA users in the U.S. now have Bluetooth capability, so they can receive and act on these targeted messages during their event visit.”

“We have found that most exhibitors are looking for anything possible to attract people to their booths, and we believe strongly that permission-based Bluetooth will be on the forefront of driving traffic to the booth.” says Dean Steinman, President of TheMobileXperience. “To reach people directly on their phone as they walk within 40-300ft of a booth and offer them a free Opt-In message is by far the most effective way of delivering that message.” Steinman continues.

What is Bluetooth Proximity Marketing?  Proximity Marketing utilizes a local Bluetooth network transmitter (not much larger than a mini laptop PC) with a range of up to 300ft/100m.  Every Bluetooth enabled device coming within the signal range receives a notification that they have a message from the sending server and asks if they will accept the message.  Messages are then downloaded and read by recipients.  Messages can contain files with graphics, text,  MP3, vCards, Internet links, and/or other popular formats optimized for the viewer’s mobile phone screen.  

Popular messaging used at events are ‘show special’ offers on products, presentation/demo schedules, discount coupons, and other timely or breaking information of interest to attendees.  The network transmitter also tracks the number of messages sent, open/download ratio, and other message distribution tracking data.  At no time is the recipient’s mobile phone number or identity compromised.  Better yet, once a recipient downloads the message, they can easily forward the message/offer to anyone in their mobile device’s address book, turning a single message into a viral marketing bonanza.

Exhibiting companies can also take advantage of this technology by setting up their own proximity marketing network to transmitter targeted messages to anyone coming within 300ft of their booth.  This capability has been utilized in the U.S. with strong success by exhibiting firms including Univision, Coca Cola, NVIDIA, Capitol Records, Rolex, and many other leading global brands.  “With the cost of the technology becoming extremely affordable, we’ve reached the point where it is more cost-effective to execute a very effective proximity marketing program than to send an additional employee to staff the booth”, Mark Simmering continues.  “We’ve found event organizers can include our package in their service/sponsorship offerings and feel very comfortable with the results their exhibitors will enjoy.”

For more information about tapping the value of Proximity Marketing for your trade shows or consumer events, contact:

Mark Simmering
InterMarket Global™
media@InterMarketGlobal.com
http://www.InterMarketGlobal.com