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TCNA Promotes Members at Coverings 2007 |
The Tile Council of North America (TCNA) made member promotion its priority at Coverings 2007.
Spreading the Word (Pre-Show Publicity)
Our pre-show promotion began with a six-page spread in TileLetter's Coverings issue, which encouraged attendees to stop by the North American Pavilion to see hot tile trends and new technology from more than 90 TCNA members. In addition to listing all exhibiting members, TCNA:
• Promoted 40 Art Studio members in the Art Tile Village
• Marketed the more than 90 live product demonstrations on its two installation stages
• Promoted an additional 50 ceramic tile, equipment, and installation material manufacturers in the North American Pavilion
Onsite Marketing Activities
TCNA hosted a press luncheon in which more than 125 new member products were presented to 24 trade and consumer editors (whose publications reach 3.4 million subscribers). After the luncheon, the editors were given a guided tour of the North American Pavilion. To keep our members foremost in the mind of journalists, press kits, which describe and promote members' new products, were displayed during the luncheon and mailed to editors free of charge.
As a new feature this year, guided tours of the North American Pavilion were provided for architects, designers, and contractors by a team of TCNA member volunteers. TCNA also hosted a guided tour of the Pavilion for six Meredith Publication editors, whose publications reach more than 3.9 million subscribers.
TCNA invited press to a ceremony in which eight Tile Council members generously donated benches they tiled to the Union League Boys and Girls Club and Chicago Boys and Girls Clubs. The benches will be placed in different Boys and Girls Clubs in the Chicago area for the enjoyment of the children and their families.
Hotdogs! The 6,000 hotdogs served outside Tile Council's booth were extremely well-received. The hotdogs, along with the coffee and pastries served each morning, proved to be another big attendee attraction to the North American Pavilion.
Keeping North American Manufacturers Center Stage
TCNA sponsored three show events - the Interior Design party for architects, the Art Tile Party, and the House of Blues Party for contractors and distributors. The total attendance at these three events was almost 3,000!
To make the House of Blues Party a memorable event, TCNA flew legendary bluesman and former bass player for Muddy Waters, Mac Arnold, and his band, Plate Full O' Blues, to Chicago for a live performance. Attendees will relish this event every time they listen to the TCNA commemorative CD given to attendees prior to the concert.
Coverings in Chicago proved to be a good venue for many of our members. A significant increase in attendance of architects and interior designers was evident at the show, while decorators, remodeling contractors, residential builders, home centers, design and decorating centers, and specifying tile/stone retailers showed double-digit increases over last year's figures.
Coverings 2008 will be held April 29 - May 2, 2008 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. Visit www.coverings.com for additional show details. |
