When Access TCA president and COO Amy Sondrup announced the company’s acquisition of Top Shelf Exhibits, her press release contained a powerful statement: We are building around what we know the marketers of the future will need.
For industry veterans who have been around for decades, have we considered the future marketers? 20 or 30 years ago, success was a goal, but the tools to reach it usually involved big budgets and minimal measurement.
Success now requires data fluency, AI skills, and experiential thinking. And by the way, the marketers of the future are not limited by age or generation. They can be young people just starting their careers or older individuals who want to stay relevant. The term marketers-of-the-future applies to anyone, regardless of age, who is eager to embrace the future and the industry’s evolution.
Speaking of the industry, the trade show sector is experiencing strong annual growth of 14.3%. For future marketers, success at trade shows requires a crucial shift from static displays to data-driven, interactive experiences that blend changing technology with sustainability and measurable ROI.
What Tomorrow’s Marketers Need:
- Smart Exhibits: What’s a smart exhibit? It’s modular, it may or may not integrate technology, and it can adapt to different venues while tracking real-time engagement. While smart exhibits don’t shy away from the “wow” factor, they primarily foster meaningful interactions and experiences.
- Sustainability: The smart exhibit uses eco-friendly materials. Sustainability isn’t optional anymore; it’s what buyers expect, and sustainability becomes part of your brand promise.
- Flexibility: Smart marketers understand options: rental exhibits or custom exhibits that they own? Budgetary options? They understand that they need to be willing to learn new skills and techniques, and to reinvent themselves, show after show.
- Data Superpowers: AI analytics, predictive modeling, and RFID systems that turn booth visits into actionable insights. Or as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said, AI will not replace you, but a person using AI will.
- Hybrid/Omni Channel Strategy: LinkedIn campaigns, microsites, and digital follow-up that extends beyond the show floor
- Fearlessness: AI isn’t the enemy; it’s a colleague, and the marketers of the future are those who leverage AI for efficiency while bringing uniquely human skills to drive business impact.
- Budgeting Skills: Not only will the marketers-of-the-future stick to the established budget and determine which line items are essential and which are “nice to have,” but they will also ensure that all partners respect the budget allocations.
- Collaboration: Future marketers will realize that it takes a team effort to drive effective marketing, so they will bring together sales, IT, finance, and other departments to achieve success, turning it into a company-wide celebration.
At Access, we pride ourselves on being ready to support the marketer of the future. Our team is ready to start a conversation. Let’s define the future together.