Tulsa hosted the annual auto show this past weekend from Friday, April 12th to Sunday, April 14th at the River Spirit Expo. A variety of local and national sponsors & exhibitors including:
- Jim Glover Auto Family
- Chris Nickel Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram
- Nissan
- Chevrolet
- Toyota
- BMW
- Volkswagen
- Mercedes-Benz
- Many More Auto Manufacturers
The whole point for why you found this post and maybe why you’re reading, you’re probably looking for events to attend and what those events are like.
If you’re an owner or general manager of a dealership, or a brand manager for a company like BMW or Nissan, The Tulsa Auto Show was something that if you were not at, we’ll your brand or business definitely missed out on.
Here are a couple of things that really stuck out to me:
- Toyota & Chevrolet Test Drive Event Outside
- StateFarm was the 1st thing you saw walking in & they had “goodie bags”
- Custom Booths for Exhibitors/Sponsors
- 2019 Mini-Golf Course – Hole Sponsors for supporting Crossover Community Impact
Let’s DIVE IN!
1. Toyota & Chevrolet Test Drive Event
Right outside the main entrance of the River Spirit Expo Center in Tulsa, were 4 well-branded tents for Toyota & Chevrolet quickly bringing my interest to, “What’re they doing there?” At first glance, I knew what was going on seeing the row of cars and signage saying “Test Drive…”
This is a great way to give a customer the experience of a car without any of the hard selling. Let the car (the product) sell itself! Definitely, something I would suggest every dealership get more involved with doing.
2. StateFarm’s Sponsorships & “Goodie Bags”
StateFarm was the only insurance sponsor of this event, I think this was definitely a smart move by local StateFarm agents. Who doesn’t need auto insurance at an auto event right? Of course everyone!
I noticed the table was near the front entrance along with these 2 stands with handbags. These handbags were simple, nothing fancy, had few SWAG items in them, but 8/10 people that I saw walking in through the front door grabbed a bag. Like they were about to go shopping with it or something.
These stands and bags were located throughout the event and what I thought was interesting was nobody else at the event had bags (that I noticed, and why would then when they already had a StateFarm bag when they walked in right?) and no other exhibitor was handing out SWAG…
So why would people need a bag? Didn’t matter, they were now walking billboards making even more impressions and making those wonder, “Why didn’t I get one?” … Interesting thought.
3. Custom Booths for Exhibitors/Sponsors
This booth from Chevrolet was a standard booth that you typically see for lead generating. There were 3-5 touch screen monitors that when a brand ambassador found someone walking by and entice them to come to the booth and fill out a form.
This is a classic example of experiential marketing and I’ve seen a lot of these types of booths.
4. 2019 Mini-Golf Course – Hole Sponsors for supporting Crossover Community Impact
Last but not least, the mini golf course! I thought this was a really cool idea. 18 holes, 18 sponsors, $5 to play, genius. This is experiential marketing for non-profits. I’d bet each business sponsored a hole for like $100-$200 and in exchange, they got their name on a golf ⛳️ flag they probably got to keep after the event.
If your dealership is looking for experiential marketing help or wanting to attend an event in or outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma, give us a call and speak with your event marketing pro to get your brand or business in the center of attention.
