Interbuild

Test the Trades

Summary

Interbuild is the UK’s largest and longest running construction exhibition. It attracts a wide range of visitors from specialist contractors to installers, specifiers and end users. Market research had highlighted that professional trades felt the show no longer served their interests. To address this, the IAS strategic PR campaign launched a national skills promoting competition, ‘Test the Trades’, with a staged final on the first day of Interbuild. Championing professional trades skills, the live final was compèred by a real trade hero - Craig Phillips - and judged by the Federation of Master Builders.

Further Information

Emap Construct (B2B) is the leading UK trade and exhibition organiser. With over 300 conferences in 16 countries, and 35 awards events, it has the widest range of influential
construction, building and e-press titles in Europe.

Interbuild is the UK’s biggest and longest running exhibition, exclusively dedicated to building and construction. Covering all aspects of the building industry and supply chain from architects and specifiers to retailers, merchants, housebuilders and general jobbing builders, the Interbuild exhibition offers a range of seminars, forums, events and awards.

Emap Construct has owned the Interbuild exhibition since 2004. After acquiring Interbuild, Emap Construct required a strategic PR campaign for impactful trade press (especially non-Emap Construct titles). The stream of horizontal and vertical trade press coverage throughout the period provided an excellent ROI. In addition the immense excitement of the final was seen by 40% of the total audience. Trade attendance increased, and big names attended the show as a result.

Research had shown that the show was increasingly viewed as a networking event for ‘marketing suits’ at the exclusion of the important trade end user audience. Traditionally, the professional trades people were a difficult and expensive market to reach. Their non-attendance at Interbuild was a primary cause of lower visitor attendance since the 2002 exhibition. While trade exhibition attendance had dropped generally in the UK over this period, we had a very specific market segment which, with the right approach, could be influenced to return.

Campaign objectives

• To reach the professional trades through appropriate media
• Make professional tradesmen the heroes of Interbuild
• Highlight the lack of skilled trades
• Encourage new blood into the industry through the apprentice system
• Represent the primary ‘trade product’ areas of the show
• Stimulate and encourage trade footfall to Interbuild
• Position Interbuild as a credible, responsible ‘thought leader’ in touch with issues affecting tradesmen across the industry

Media Strategy

• To develop a ‘creative’ PR solution with campaign legs to generate targeted coverage (features plus general articles)
• To develop a an ongoing ‘dialogue’ with the key audiences
• To engage professional trades across the spectrum in the excitement about Interbuild
• Leverage trade celebrity Craig Phillips as event host to create additional PR opportunities, further recognition and profile for the area
• To help promote the importance of professional skill, at a time of deskilling, by giving it a prominent place at the industry’s most important public event
• To gain involvement and support of construction media outside the Emap group
• To use regional and national press to publicise teams and winners and get a wider audience than through trade media
• To orchestrate press comment to a climax before the show in order to help sponsors as well as raise expectations and sustain visitor levels

Event strategy

• To challenge the trades within the construction industry to enter a team in the ‘Test The Trades’ head-to-head challenge
• To create friendly rivalry between different building professions, enhancing the excitement and interest in the event
• To gain participation of building and materials suppliers in a new way outside their exhibitions stands
• To gain sponsors for tasks, tools used and prizes as ways of generating more interest
• To create a ‘buzz’ to pull in crowds and hold their attention so as to generate good reviews post Interbuild and high expectations for the next Interbuild

Target Audience

• Primary audience – professional trades people engaged in the building construction industry
• Secondary audience – employers of professional trades along with developers, specifiers and the general building trade
• All manufacturers of tools, consumables and materials directly purchased or influenced by the professional trades.

Media Channels

• Trade, regional and local press
• Trade association internal newsletters
• Exhibitions
• Radio
• Direct mail support

Results

• 80 pieces of coverage
• Combined circulation audience of 2.9 million readers
• Advertising value equivalent of £120,000
• ‘Call To Action’ that appeared in 57 pieces of coverage

Coverage attracted for main sponsors of prizes:
• Dewalt (4.5 pages equivalent)
• Bosch (4.5 pages equivalent)
• Mercedes Van – main TTT prize ‘van of the year’ (17.7 pages equivalent)

The Sunday event attracted over 10,000 visitors, who all heard about Test The Trades
over the PA as the 3 hour competition progressed. At its height, estimates of over
1000 people could view the competition arena at any one time.

Additional
• £45,000 of additional exhibitor revenue (Big brands, e.g. Lafarge and Hilti Tools, took stands next to the Test The Trades Arena, and have increased stand size for future events)
• Increased sponsorship expectations to £120,000 for the 2007 show
• 20.7% increase in trade audience to 12,645
• Pre-registration up by 30%

Client Testimonial

 “The ‘Test the Trades’ initiative was created to attract the core trades back to Interbuild - a difficult target market to reach through traditional methods of advertising in trade press and direct mail. This clever PR initiative meant we were able to secure editorial in a wide variety of regional press and trade press. It also created a visitor feature at the show that was seen by 40% of the total audience and secured big brand exhibitors that wouldn’t have otherwise exhibited with us.”

Natalie Keller; Marketing Manager for Interbuild:

“As a sponsor of Test the Trades at Interbuild 2006 we enjoyed additional press coverage prior to the show and a higher profile for our brand at the show. The Interbuild team worked hard in promoting the competition and Bosch enjoyed the associated benefits. Anything which allows us to interact directly or indirectly with our end users can only help to strengthen our brand message and supports our overall marketing strategy.”

Liz Baldwin, Publicity Manager, Robert Bosch Limited:

PR Coverage

Birmingham Mail: 19th April 2006
Construction News April 2006
Roofing: April 2006
Professional Builder: April 2006
Professional Electrician: April 2006
Professional Heating & Plumbing Installer: April 2006
Industrial Woodworker: April 2006
Refurb Projects: April 2006
Tool Business & Hire: April 2006
Roofing: May 2006
THE B2B MARKETING AWARDS 2007 INTERBUILD
BIRMINGHAM MAIL: APRIL 2006
CONSTRUCTION NEWS: APRIL 2006
ROOFING: APRIL 2006
PROFFESIONAL BUILDER: APRIL 2006
PROFESSIONAL ELECTRICIAN: APRIL 2006
PROFESSIONAL HEATING & PLUMBING INSTALLER: APRIL 2006
INDUSTRIAL WOODWORKER: APRIL 2006
REFURB PROJECTS: APRIL 2006
TOOL BUSINESS & HIRE: APRIL 2006
ROOFING: MAY 2006