NCET Entrepreneur Week
Challenge
In March 2008, the second annual eWeek celebration in the state of Nevada took place. Its finale was the Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology (NCET) Entrepreneur Expo held on the last day of the week in both Las Vegas and Nevada. NCET requested sponsorship from Noble Studios to assist with the design and development of all marketing materials. Target audiences were event sponsors, participants, and guest speakers.
Although we had numbers from the previous year for Reno, it was difficult to set an accurate goal based on only one year’s experience in Reno and none from Las Vegas (this being the first year in the south). We bet high, nearly doubling everything in hopes we might exceed expectations and touch more participants in the Reno market. As for the Las Vegas market, we geared up for numbers similar to the first expo in the north.
Our goals were as follows:
1.) Double the exhibitors in the north and achieve better numbers in the south than last year’s Reno expo. The previous year was 31 in Reno and 65 in Las Vegas.
2.) Double the attendees in the north and achieve better numbers in the south than last year’s Reno expo. The previous year was 500 in Reno and 600 in Las Vegas.
3.) Fill all available rooms and times with business guest speakers. We needed 30 speakers in all based on space availability.
Tactics
Both NCET and Noble Studios desired a message that spoke to all audiences and helped initiate an instant recollection or understanding of the issues that entrepreneurs face and inform them of the solutions provided at the expo. Hence, our campaign “Too many hats?” became an instant success for organization/participant relationship building. The idea proved to be great across all forms of media: photos of hats strung along a rope with clothes pins, each hat with a job title a small business owner may have carry while in the early stages of business.
Our formula was to speak directly to the issue at hand. Entrepreneurs have a lot on their minds. Between being the business technician to business management to outside salesperson, business owners have to wear a lot of hats. Especially in those early stages of business. NCET’s Entrepreneur Expo offers solutions to businesses caught in those early stages of business when growing pains seem to sometimes become overwhelming. It was imperative that we relayed that same message to participants early on and maintained a clear message throughout the event campaign. Media included print, collateral, websites, and radio and TV spots. Event promotional items produced are as follows: event/sponsorship program, directional signage, bookmarks, and sponsorship banners.
Results
NCET’s Entrepreneur Expo was a complete success this year! Noble Studios donated the event marketing and campaign pieces. Here are the stats:
Attendance: We had nearly 1,000 attendees this year in Reno. In spite of much shorter hours, Las Vegas received 600 visitors and more limited opportunities for speakers.
Exhibitors: With 80 exhibitors this year, our numbers more than doubled last year’s 31. In spite of more limited opportunities for speakers, Las Vegas received 65 exhibitors.
Speakers: 30 industry leaders spoke this year on topics that reached as far as bookkeeping for beginners to the foundations for a successful website. Last year’s 25 speakers would have been nearly doubled with the 45 applications turned in by professionals in a smorgasbord of professions; however, room and time availability was limited.
Awards:2008 Reno-Tahoe AMA GlamourACE Awards - Award of Excellence for a Non-Profit Marketing Campaign
“Noble did an incredible job with this campaign. The creative received great feedback both during the initial focus groups and then from the public once we rolled out the campaign. Small businesses can truly relate to the concept of wearing “too many hats.” This campaign allowed us to at least double the results in every metric.”
Dave Archer, CEO of Nevada’s Center of Entrepreneurship and Technology
