Revised 1/2012

HRI 233 - Meeting and Exhibition Marketing (3 CR.)

Course Description

Examines all the major marketing tools used to attract attendees to an event, promote seminar attendance, and sell booth space to exhibitors at a trade show or exposition. Concentrates on the fundamentals of marketing that will enable the event manager to practice a total marketing approach including research, planning, budgeting, direct selling, sales promotion, advertising, public relations and internet applications. Lecture 3 hours per week.

General Course Purpose

The purpose of this course is to provide the student with a basic knowledge of the marketing tools that are currently used to promote meetings, conventions, seminars, trade shows, and expositions. The key marketing disciplines, theories, media and techniques are reviewed with an emphasis on their applicability to the meetings industry.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

None.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:

  • Identify the major tenets of contemporary marketing theory and demonstrate their relevance to meetings
  • Evaluate the role of primary and secondary research in marketing meetings and compare and contrast various research methodologies
  • Inventory the steps required in writing a sound, actionable marketing plan for a convention or trade show
  • Inventory the steps required to formulate and monitor a realistic marketing budget for a meetings/trade show department
  • Analyze the components of an effective direct mail campaign-mailing list, offer and creative approach
  • Analyze proven advertising messages and media, including newspaper and magazine ads, radio and television commercials, transit signs and outdoor advertisements to build participation at meetings and trade shows
  • Analyze the role of public relations as a marketing tool for the meetings manager
  • Review the role played by direct selling and telemarketing in effectively marketing meetings
  • Analyze commonly used sales promotion tools and techniques
  • Inventory the suppliers and support services that are critical to marketing meetings effectively

Major Topics to Be Included

  • Fundamentals of marketing
  • Foundations of marketing theory: the 4 Ps of marketing, market research
  • Positioning, offers, personalization, consumer behavior, differentiation
  • Product: features/functions/benefits/offer creation
  • Price: price promotion/pricing strategies
  • Budgeting: pro-formas, RFP creation
  • Place: distribution/location/marketing aspects
  • Current marketing trends: product lifecycle/marketing theory
  • Creating a marketing plan: generating targets/creating and managing lists
  • Media/marketing tools, integration of electronic and traditional marketing
  • Direct sales management and public relations
  • Putting the plan into action
  • International marketing: working with agencies
  • Challenges in marketing implementation