Twitter enables virtual tour of NeoCon tradeshow

The tight economy has challenged many companies’ travel budgets, hampering attendance at NeoCon, the annual business interiors tradeshow at the Chicago Merchandise Mart. The show, which runs from June 15 through 17, has seen a 25 to 50 percent drop in attendance (depending on the source).

Our client at OM Workspace, the contract furniture division of OfficeMax, recognized the opportunity to be the eyes and ears of their customers and sales people who were not able to attend by tweeting live from the show. Together with OM Workspace, we used Twitter to make top line observations of interest at the show. Our team is currently touring the show, visiting key furniture manufacturers, interviewing designers, and posting pictures and highlights with links to more in-depth content. So far, approximately 200 people signed up to follow us at the show. More can get our updates by searching the hashtag #NeoCon09.

Special event Twitter streams can help companies become the conduit for important industry developments as well as help their customers and sales people better interpret the key insights and opportunities, regardless of whether they are able to attend or not. It can be a powerful leadership strategy and huge value to customers and sales teams alike.