What you need to know about the new direct marketing guidance note
Nadine Mather and Chloë Loubser
Exhibiting really good figures
Visitors to the Exhibition Association of Southern Africa (EXSA) website increased by 135% from March 2004 to March 2005, an increase directly attributed to the growing interest in the exhibition medium and a spur for EXSA to revamp the site.
Mandy O'Connor, EXSA general manager says: "An increasing number of marketers are aware of the unique benefits of exhibitions, which allow companies to communicate directly with their target markets. Exhibitions apply the principles of experiential marketing, enabling customers to interact with the exhibitor's products."
Shaun Kingston of SURREAL, the website developer, explains the objective of the revamp: "We decided to focus our efforts on improving the overall user experience and achieving a sense of community. Essentially, we wanted to create a place where the industry would feel at home and where exhibitions would have an opportunity to shine."
The new EXSA website, which went live on 11 April 2005, has all the latest local and international industry news, an exhibition directory, industry research and links to related websites. Its exhibiting tips are a valuable resource for marketers who want to know how to get the most out of an exhibition. The site also includes the Association's complimentary monthly exhibitions newsletter.
The website can be viewed at www.exsa.co.za.
