NEW YORK – Ad:tech Chicago seems good for cordialities, but ad:tech New York is where marketers go to generate real business leads. At least that’s how some exhibitors see it.
Executives from E-mail Data Source have been attending the ad:tech circuit for the last three years and find the New York show to be a source of real business.
“Chicago is a nice show to go to and say hello to clients, but lead generations that turn into sales come from the New York show,” said Alyssa Russo, customer service manager at E-mail Data Source Inc., New York.
Industry veteran Lana McGilvray, vice president of marketing at Datran Media, New York, echoed Ms. Russo’s sentiment.
“At the beginning of the year, we assess about 150 shows and decide which ones to attend,” Ms. McGilvray said. “The ad:tech shows are always our biggest lead generators, especially in New York. We had 90 appointments set up before we got here.”
Datran has one of the best seats in the house – a three-sided open corner booth at the entry hall to the first exhibition floor. Ms. McGilvray said that seniority, sponsorship levels and luck got them into that strategic position.
Another firm that thought about strategic positioning is first-time exhibitor IncrediMail, which paid to be positioned in an open corner on the fourth floor. This Tel Aviv, Israel-based business opened a new sales office in New York last summer.
“We are here at ad:tech because we think it is the leading show in the interactive industry,” said Jeff Holzmann, New York-based executive vice president at IncrediMail. “Everyone here is a possible client.”
Booth placement is key to getting noticed at a busy show, and Friendster knows. The representatives at the booth handed out chocolate bars to attendees getting off of the escalators as they entered the fourth floor exhibit hall.
The only complaints expressed about the ad:tech New York show are typical of complaints about New York locations, in general: space is limited.
“The aisles are wider in San Francisco,” said Raina B. Forman, senior account manager at E-mail Data Source. “It’s a little harder to navigate through here.”
