Vendors at trade shows staff their booths with sales representatives and field engineers and the occasional developer to interface with potential customers. Some will also include staff from their marketing communications department or a hired PR agent to arrange editor meetings.  Such meetings, which may include an interview and live demo, provide editors with the information we need to pass along to our readers.

At this time next week, I will be reporting from the exhibition floor at European Microwave Week (EuMW) along with my colleagues from the Journal. This annual event is our opportunity to meet with fellow microwave professionals from across the globe. The German venue for this year’s event is among the most popular host cities for the EuMW and we are expecting a lively show for companies looking to explore markets outside the US. While we are close to wrapping up this year in print, EuMW gives us the opportunity to hear exhibitors’ plans for 2014 and coordinate our editorial around advances in the state of our technology.     

And as technology grows more complex and solutions more diverse, communicating the attributes of a new technology or product in a clear and concise manner is critical to industry awareness and the support of engineers in their decision to employ the right technology for their needs.   Every exhibitor looking to communicate the benefits of their company’s products should consider having ready answers to the questions below. Being prepared with this information beforehand will make your team more focused about their message and ensure that editors can spend more time listening and less time jotting down specs that are already on a data sheet somewhere.

 Companies that provide this information to editors (and customers) in a clear and concise fact sheet do a better job of communicating their new products attributes than those that ad-lib an elevator speech.

 1. What is the new product or service?  Or What is being demonstrated?

2. Who does it target? (market sector or applications)

3. What are the most significant features?

4. What previously existing product(s) does it replace and how does it compare?

5. Where can someone get more information?