Creative Brief

The challenge of participating in trade shows is to stand out from the crowd, engage attendees despite distractions, and to provide an ROI while staying within budget. Our multi-channel trade show marketing strategy for the Design-Build Institute of America’s (DBIA) 2018 Conference utilized our website, social media, print invitations and an in-booth attendee activity to drive booth traffic, one-on-one meetings and awareness of our dedication to design-build.

In 2018 the Design-Build Institute of America celebrated 25 years of design-build success. As a long-time partner and supporter, we built our DBIA Conference marketing strategy to celebrate this silver anniversary and the benefits of partnerships. Our theme of “Celebrating 25 Years of Design-Build Success” was designed to engage the full spectrum of conference attendees by sparking pride in the role of partner organizations and individuals in the growth of design-build. Our trade show promotion strategy included:

• Booth design evocative of a café or brewery to encourage connection, partnership and conversation
• Each attendee received a printed invitation to show their support for DBIA by signing a plaque in our booth, receiving a branded mug celebrating partnership for their participation
• Website landing page and in-booth video highlighting 25 years of award-winning projects
• Series of social media posts highlighting booth activities and awards
• Conference sponsorship with branded lanyards

Our social and web efforts extended our reach beyond the show floor. This creative and coordinated, multi-channel trade show promotion strategy was very successful at generating excitement, increasing booth activity and increasing our contacts and meetings.