Recently, I attended the 2010 IBIE Expo in Las Vegas. The very first thing I noticed upon entering the convention hall, were large Twitter kiosks featuring show attendee tweets from the show floor. Attendees were encouraged to tag their tweets with #IBIE2010, which made for a nice collection of quick, IBIE-related news and information.
Anderson Partners Food Ingredients kept a constant watch over interesting booths, products to note, samples not to miss and overall happenings during the expo. Although tweeting is an extremely beneficial way to promote a company and its products, I found many key companies absent from this social media platform. Some exhibitors even promoted Twitter feeds on their collateral, but were not active tweeters at the show. This tells me that marketers are aware of Twitter, some have even dipped their toes in the water by creating an account, but very few are actively using the tool.
It’s a fair assumption, that with so few people tweeting, very few people were also following the tweets. I think it’s only a matter of time until the food industry discovers how relevant this tool can be, especially at a trade show. Don’t miss out on free promotional opportunities such as this one. I’d recommend getting involved now, so when the trend does catch on, you are light years ahead of the game.