If a brand gets as big as Interbuild it needs to work hard to stay in touch with its original advocates. When research highlighted the drift of professional trades, IAS rallied them back to Interbuild with ‘Test the Trades’.
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 showed that professional trades felt the show no longer served their interests. 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, the live final was compèred by a real trade hero - Craig Phillips - and judged by the Federation of Master Builders. The campaign generated 80 pieces of coverage and a combined circulation audience of 2.9million readers, with advertising value equivalent of £120,000. Sponsorship expectations increased to £120,000 for the 2007 show, and pre-registration was increased by 30%.