Challenge
Each year, VMX attracts over 18,000 attendees, composed of more than 10,000 veterinary professionals. Longtime exhibitor Elanco Animal Health wanted to show up differently for 2020. Elanco’s prior exhibit program was focused on their individual product brands and driving sales during the event. They wanted to redefine their conference presence to maximize the rate of return, cut through the industry “product brand clutter” and re-establish Elanco as the leader in Companion Animal Health. It was important to leverage the corporate Elanco brand above product messaging in anticipation of an IPO and major acquisition.
Approach
A VIP program was established, which focused on a strong pre-event campaign enticing Veterinarians to “sign-up” to participate in the new product promotions, educational sessions, and engagement center activities at the event. A new conference theme was developed highlighting the Elanco brand with feature walls showcasing the four solution categories, a central theater for SME presentations and a casual lounge to engage with other industry leaders. Programmable LED lighting was integrated into the overhead signage and throughout the exhibit. Colors changed on demand, depending on the featured topic in the theater. The soft graphics campaign along with other lighting features brought the brand personality to life, and the leads captured far exceeded the prior year.
Results
The new selling strategy increased the VIP leads over 250% from 2019. The educational sessions increased booth traffic and promoted more meaningful conversations around the new product category solutions.
Client Testimonial
"For any organization to be successful, an exhibit house needs to be more than a contracted vendor. It needs to be a more than a checkbox as any organization prepares for annual meetings. Hamilton knows our brand. They know our business, our goals, and our objectives. With a symbiotic relationship built on communication, transparency, and trust, magic happens for both organizations and - more importantly - the customers with whom we interact. Through many ups and downs, Elanco's partners at Hamilton have been a steadfast piece of our business. Their customer service and ability to strategically forward-think the needs of the industry is something that makes my job easier. Hamilton has earned high marks based on the ability to partner and challenge status quo. I am a better events planner within my organization because of Hamilton. As I tell my internal colleagues, "It's not just a booth." The same can be said for Hamilton. They aren't "just a booth." They are an ally who has taken our organization from a small animal health company with a small, 10x20' booth several years ago to the second largest animal health company with a large, 30'x50' customer experience. Quality is beyond building materials. Quality is solid return and support in every aspect. Hamilton Exhibits is Quality."
