Exhibiting and Non-Exhibiting Vendors are essential to the financial success of statewide and regional conferences. How do you get these vendors involved?
Here are a few ways to find your vendors:
- Start with the vendors who provide your own payroll services. It is often easier to talk to someone you already know and have a business relationship with. Include your payroll provider, shredding company, paycard provider, employee perks company, timekeeping company, and any others that help you complete the entire payroll process.
- Ask the members of your conference board for their points of contact as well. When you reach out to those companies, tell them how you heard about them and why your event is a great opportunity to show off their products and/or services to payroll professionals in the area. Remind them that their company may not be known to members of the payroll community who would benefit from what they have to offer.
- If you attend Payroll Congress (whether virtually or in-person), be sure to connect with the exhibitors. Since they are already working to promote their products and services, this is a great opportunity to tell them about your conference and how they can get the word out to payroll professionals who are not able to attend Congress. Write down the names and emails of as many vendors as possible. Even if they’re not able to attend your upcoming event, they may be able to include you in their exhibiting budget for the following year.
- I don’t normally share this technique, but it works! When you email a vendor contact, you may receive an automatic reply that they are out of the office or no longer with the company. If their message includes another name and email, write down that information and contact them. You might reach a supervisor or someone with the authority to say yes. Be sure to update your contact list anytime your point of contact changes or you gain secondary contact information.
In the end, remember to thank all your vendors. It is very important to show your appreciation because they help us keep our costs reasonable for attendees. A ‘thank you’ goes a long way and can encourage continued support at future events.
Good luck with your conferences this year!
Carrie Louise Hovell, CPP has served several roles for the Virginia Statewide Payroll Conference, including President and Exhibitor Committee Chair for over seven years. She was also the Exhibitor Committee Chair for the New England Payroll Conference for nine years.
Need additional help? Email Chapter Relations at ChapterRelations@americanpayroll.org to ask questions!
