"Some magazines call us for information about our shows," says Tom McCaffrey, President of Canadian Exhibition Management in Edmonton. "But others -- you couldn't get their attention with a hand grenade."

If you're lucky enough to have the leading show in an industry, you probably have no trouble getting pre-show coverage in the industry's leading magazine. Its editors need you, and pursue you. But that still leaves a lot of other media untouched. And if you're not the only game in town, what can you do -- short of lobbing a hand grenade -- to attract their attention? Why do you want it anyway?

There are many reasons to try to generate pre-show press coverage, says Jim Greif, Vice President of Banner & Greif Ltd., a New York City public relations firm specializing in expositions and conferences. Preshow publicity not only attracts attendees and conference registrants, but it also educates exhibitors and thus motivates them to do their own promotion. It also builds prestige for the event and can even interest speakers in appearing on the conference program. The reason publicity accomplishes so much, he says, is that it reaches an enormous number of people, and "people really do believe what they read."

Publicity is also a relatively low-cost promotion tool. According to Greif, "The idea is to get publications to use their money to promote your show." Certainly there are costs involved in generating publicity, but it's far less expensive than advertising, and can provide as much exposure -- if not more. Getting that exposure is, however, labor intensive and long-term.

Sending a few news releases a month before the show will do nothing for you; it's too little, too late. To be effective, a campaign to generate preshow publicity must start anywhere from seven to 14 months before a trade show, and continue until about a month before the event.

The timing is very different for consumer expositions. Tom Reno, Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations, for Expositions Inc., in Olathe, KS, begins contacting the media four to six weeks before his Remodeling & Decorating Expo. He wants media exposure in the two to three days before the show, when most consumers make their plans to attend.

Building a media list
The first step in a publicity program is determining which media to target. Most managers identify the key publications in a field before even launching their event. Your search for that information can begin at the library. Both the Standard Rate & Data Publications Directory and Bacons Publicity Checker list business and technical publications, grouped by subject.

To create or add to that basic list, there are several sources you can tap. Ask your exhibitors where they place ads or send press releases. In postshow surveys, ask attendees which magazines they read, and how they heard about your show. Your advisory board might also have recommendations. "Those responses might expand our distribution of news releases," says Molly Moter, Communications Director for the International Lawn, Garden and Power Equipment Expo, in Louisville. "Developing a press list is an ongoing process for each show," she adds.

You might even solicit names from managers of noncompeting shows in the same industry, as Peter Giffin does. "No one is in direct competition with me," explains Giffin, who is Show Manager for the Atlantic Craft Trade Show. "I'm a small regional show, promoting the crafts and giftware products of Canada's four Atlantic provinces." Giffin asked the manager of a national craft show to suggest contacts for him. "He was very forthcoming," says Giffln.

Other important outlets can be harder to find. For example, specialized newsletters could be too new to be listed in any directory. "That's why you need a press office at the show," says Greif. Newsletter editors, having read about your show in the major magazines, will attend the show and stop by your press office, he explains. You, or one of your staff, can meet those editors -- too late for pre-show coverage for this year, obviously, but now you have their names for next year.

Don't limit yourself to just the obvious choices. Many publications may reach only a segment of your audience but they may represent your best chance for attracting that segment. "Show managers often overlook the peripheral publications," Greif points out. "Every show has half a dozen key publications, and another dozen that are important. But if you can get a news article into a publication that might be peripheral, the few dollars for postage and handling to reach that publication are very minor."

Exposure in the general press can also be valuable in a city with a large industrial base, like Chicago. A newspaper headline or a brief segment on a television news program acts as a reminder "It can have a significant impact on attendance at your show," Grief says.

Then how many people do you need on your list? How do you know when you have enough? In terms of raw numbers, there really is no guide; it depends on the potential for your show. Michael Hough, Principal of A/E/C SYSTEMS in Newington, CT, has 1,400 editors on the press list for his show. But the list is segmented according to the markets the editors cover. Thus, a release focusing on what the show offers for contractors, will go only to the 100 editors who cover the contractor market.

In order to segment your list, and target your material precisely, you'll need the names of the editors who cover specific areas. Address a mailing to "Editor, XYZ Magazine," and it may not get past the editorial assistant who does the preliminary screening and can't figure out who should receive it. Address it to the wrong editor, and you're not much better off. He or she may not have the knowledge, the time or the inclination to re-route it. Editors aren't heartless; they're simply inundated. Evelyn Sherman, Staff Editor, Products, for Machine Design magazine, says she receives about 2,000 releases every month.

Finding the right name, or names, is simple but time consuming. It requires a phone call to the editor or managing editor of each publication to ask who covers specific subjects or products. Of course, if you have a lot of publications on your list, you'll need to make a lot of phone calls -- but that's the unavoidable reality.

As many show managers point out, this is just the beginning of the phone calls. Continuing contact is necessary to find out what information editors want, when they need it, if they received it, if they can use it -- and to develop personal relationships with key editors.

Forming relationships
Giffin is emphatic about developing relationships with editors. "What's most important is contacts," he explains. "As you build rapport, things get easier." Giffin's job involves much travel, and that affords him the opportunity to meet with editors, perhaps take them to lunch. "We develop a personal relationship," he says. "If I pick up the phone six months later and leave a message, they'll return my call." How many people wish they could make that statement?

Hough also makes personal "courtesy calls" on about a dozen of the key editors on his list. And he suggests another successful tactic: "We have editors moderate panels in our conference program; they're good -- they know the industry. " And, he adds, "This cements the relationship. They'll do a post-show writeup, and next year we'll get pre-show publicity."

All things being equal, a personal relationship with an editor can improve your chances of getting coverage. But first, all things must be equal. "Just because I know the show manager doesn't mean I'll accept the information," says Lisa Arrigo, Managing Editor of Product Design & Development magazine. "The material must be useful to our reader." Material you submit must be appropriate for the magazine, in usable form, and on time. Asking the editor what he or she wants, and when, is vital. But show managers also need to do their own homework.

Request a media kit, which includes circulation figures and reader demographics. Read the editorial calendar, to determine the issues in which you would like your material to appear, and also to find out the editorial deadlines. Caution: Advertising deadlines and editorial deadlines are not the same. If the editorial calendar lists only advertising deadlines, ask what the editorial deadlines are. And when the date approaches, ask again. Deadlines can change after calendars are printed.

Ask to be put on the magazine's mailing list, so that you know the flow, Giffin adds. For example, do readers receive the January issue in the middle of January, or at the end of the month -- or in December? The answer to that can determine if you want to be in the January issue, or if a different one would be more helpful.

Read the magazine to learn how the articles are written. Some magazines are more news-oriented, while other focus on "how to" articles. Be careful to verity your conclusions with the editor. Arrigo has a recurring problem with material she receives. "People see that we write tightly, and assume that they can send only 25 to 35 words," she says. "So I receive incredibly short releases that tell me nothing. I'd prefer a long release that explains the product and the application, and I'll take the information I need."

Reviewing the media kit, and talking with the editors, will also help you identify the readers and their concerns. Giffin, for example, needs to know if a publication's main distribution is to gift stores or jewelry stores; owners of the two types of stores have different interests. Arrigo says that the attendees of the shows her magazine covers look for new products to help them do their jobs better, or save them time or money. For that reason, "We emphasize the products and the technology." Of course, editors' opinions are not the only ones that count. "We had 5,000 evaluation forms from attendees after our last show, so I know what our attendees want," says Hough. "We know what the industry wants, and editors know that, so they look to us as a resource."

Start with a calendar
Armed with a list of editors and an understanding of what kind of information they want, you're ready to begin a series of mailings. The first piece is usually the calendar announcement. An insignificant, routine communication? Hardly. "Publishers' surveys show that calendars are among the best-read items in a magazine," Greif explains. "For some shows, calendar mentions bring in enough exhibitors to pay for the entire public relations effort."

Calendar announcements should be sent to editors anywhere from seven to 12 months before the show, depending on the time period covered by the magazine's listings. And they can be re-sent. Hough's show is in June; calendar notices are enclosed with mailings in September, December and January. Besides the obvious -- name of the event, dates, location, anticipated number of exhibitors and attendees -- the notice should include a brief description of the types of products that will be shown and the topics that will be covered in the conference program. "Some people think they need a five- or six-page release," says Hough. "We send a simple two-paragraph description of the show, and we get a lot of response to the calendar notices."

Hough suggests sending the notice to an editor who is your chief contact, with a covering note asking that the notice be forwarded to the calendar editor. "The calendar editor could be the lowest person on the totem pole, and not know which show deserves a listing," he explains.

Hough's full schedule includes a post-show update in the summer, plus mailings in September, December, January, February and March. He particularly wants to be in March, April and May issues. After that, he says, it's too late for pre-show coverage.

Giffin, whose show is in February, makes his initial media contact in July, and his heaviest contact in August and September. Moter begins sending material to editors about 10 months before the show; her calendar announcement might go even earlier. "Ideally, we'll send one release a month," she says.

News release topics
Not only must an effective public relations campaign encompass a number of releases, each one must contain different information in order to be usable. How can you come up with enough ideas?

"There are three areas of news interest in a show," says Marge O'Connor, Director of TMC Associates in Palatine, IL, a business-to-business marketing consulting firm specializing in trade show marketing. "They are the exhibits -- what's new; the educational portion -- the trends; and industry or association activities, such as annual meetings. The hottest area is the exhibits, but unfortunately you don't generate that news until late. So your early publicity must relate to the educational sessions."

Speakers can sometimes help you get publicity, O'Connor says, because they are eager to get it for themselves. Perhaps they've written articles that could be submitted to an industry magazine. Or they might be available to be interviewed by editors.

We'd like to know if there are going to be noted speakers at a conference," says Ron Khol, Editor of Machine Design magazine. "If they have an inkling of what people are going to say, that's even better."

To encourage editors to contact speakers for interviews, Moter sends a release giving each speaker's topic, company name, address and phone number and a brief summary of his or her credentials. There is also an attention-getting statement such as, "he has appeared as an expert witness and legal consultant for the industry, and written many articles for professional publications."

Reno emphasizes interviews to promote his show. For example, Al Carrel, who has his own talk show in Texas as the "Super Handyman," moderates some seminars at the Remodeling & Decorating Expo. "He's a natural for interviews," says Reno. To interest writers and talk show hosts, Reno sends an informational news release with a cover note, and follows up with a phone call.

This year he is also publicizing an exhibitor who uses a photograph of a room or the exterior of a house to create a computer printout of what the room or house would look like after a redesign. "That's something we thought writers would do something with -- and they are responding," he says.

Giffin is constantly on the lookout for something unique. One example he cites: "I have an exhibitor who makes purses and wallets out of fishskin leather in fantastic colors. I'll use her as a lead item." When Giffin travels, he visits other shows to spot trends, and to learn which products at his show have not been seen elsewhere. "It takes a bit of research," he admits. "But I have a feel for who my innovative exhibitors are."

Show managers don't have to do all that research on their own, O'Connor points out. "Train your exhibit sales staff to find out what exhibitors are planning, and maintain good contact with the sales staff. Then look for trends in product areas."

Giffin has been successful publicizing special events at his show. "Last year, we had a professionally choreographed fashion show," he says. "Editors loved it. " Contests, model stores, new product showcases and hands-on demonstration areas are unique enough to interest the press, and also offer real value to attendees.

To spark editors' thinking, Moter sends them a list of 25 "compelling reasons" for attendees to visit the show. Each reason opens with an action verb and promotes a benefit. Among them: "To compare products in action," and "To find new sources of supply." Other show managers have gone so far as to send actual lists of story ideas from which editors can choose. These lists include not only a description of the idea, but contact sources as well.

Regardless of how exciting your news is, however, if it's too late, and the space is filled, you're out of luck. Material must arrive by the deadline for the issue in which you want it to appear. Usually that's one and one-half to two months before the cover date, but it could be even earlier for special show issues. "On deadline day, I usually get about 30 frantic calls requesting extensions," says Arrigo. "I try to accommodate people, but I can't guarantee it."

Finding assistance
The demands of a publicity program are a lot to add to a show manager's plate. Retaining an outside agency is an option, however. "We used to do it ourselves, but it was too time consuming," says Tom McCaffrey. "Our purpose is to sell space and organize shows. You can't be an expert in everything. So we decided to bring in somebody who knows the business." Now McCaffrey's advertising agency writes and mails his news releases, using his input on what's newsworthy.

Hough's public relations agency, Banner & Greif, handles press releases and does much of the telephone work, particularly for special issues. But Hough himself writes the personalized cover memos that go with most news releases, and also is in direct contact with key editors.

Polly Moter is an independent contractor handling publicity and other responsibilities for shows in addition to the International Lawn, Garden and Outdoor Power Equipment Expo. Warren Sellers, Executive Vice President for Andry Montgomery and Associates, the show organizer, says this arrangement works well because Moter has the necessary experience and ability. "But our Los Angeles office uses an outside agency. And if I didn't have a Polly, I'd use an agency too.

"You can set up a good in-house publicity department," Greif maintains, "but only if the person can devote full attention to it and isn't also writing brochures and soliciting ads."

Inside or outside, Greif cautions, "Public relations is not an expense item -- something to be cut back in hard times. Properly handled, it's a profit center."

Sidebar: Editors' wish list
Editors are an overworked group," says Jim Greif, Vice President of New York City public relations firm Banner & Greif Ltd. "If you want your material to be used, you have to make things easy for the editor." EXPO asked four trade magazine editors what would make their jobs easier, and found them eager to comment. The editors: Lisa Arrigo, Managing Editor, Product Design & Development; James Eilers, Section Editor, Food Processing Magazine; Ron Khol, Editor, Machine Design; and Evelyn Sherman, Staff Editor, Products, Machine Design.

Put the focus where it belongs
"People think the news is that the company will be there, not that the product line will be there," says Arrigo. "So 90 percent of the release tells me how wonderful the company is and how long it's been in business. But attendees go to see the products."

Eilers agrees: "I don't care about the history of the company, or the CEO, or who the director of sales is."

Less is not more
Knowing an editor isn't likely to read a 10-page news release, some show managers go too far in their attempt at brevity. "If there's not enough information and I can't figure out the application, I won't use the material," says Arrigo.

Similarly, Khol prefers releases that not only tell what the company is showing, but also give the rationale. "Why are they showing 30-gallon-per-minute pumps? Does that mean that 20-gallon-per-minute pumps aren't selling? What is the economic or technical factor involved? That makes it more interesting, and gives them a chance for a little more ink."

But too much is still too much
"I don't want a laundry list of products," says Sherman. "I want to know what's the newest; that's what I'll put in my product showcase."

Eilers is interested in what's most important, new or not: "I want to see the main draw. If it's the same product as last year, that's fine. But if the emphasis is on new things, pick one."

A picture is worth its weight in ink
"I want a good picture, even if I have no intention of using it," says Eilers. Why? "The picture can make it clearer to me that a product is new, or that it's a solution to a design challenge."

Arrigo is turned off by releases that say "Photograph available on request." If she's really interested, she might make the phone call. But if the release is a "maybe," the lack of a photograph could kill it.

Products aren't the only news
"We're looking for something to grab the reader's attention," says Kohl. "Tell us if the show is responding to any marketing trends. For example, are there any adjustments because defense spending is down? Are they therefore looking more toward consumer markets?"