NPE2024: The Plastics Show – Nonprofit Event Marketing Campaign

About Project

About NPE2024
The Plastics Industry Association's (PLASTICS) partnered with 360 Live Media to elevate its signature event, NPE2024: The Plastics Show, to meet the needs of the entire supply chain of the plastics industry. NPE2024 attendees will gain exclusive access to the entire supply chain, including machinery and equipment, raw materials, recycling and sustainability, automation and robotics, 3D and 4D printing, inspection, design and more.
The Opportunity
PLASTICS partnered with 360 Live Media to develop a bold creative and marketing strategy utilizing a new brand look and feel to attract the largest addressable audience to their premier trade show. The fully integrated campaign includes development and management of website, email, social media, digital advertising, earned media and barter agreements to attract more than 55,000 attendees for 110 plus countried to Orlando, Florida in May 2024.
The Planning Process
NPE is held every three years. However, due to the pandemic, it will have been 6 years since the last NPE was held. The planning process to reinvigorate this massive industry tradeshow was no small feat. It was important to align on the objectives, audiences, and strategies that would attract a new audience to the show. The process included: In-depth research, event strategy, creative theme development, website architecture, paid media planning, public relations, barter agreements - it was a fully integrated event marketing campaign.
Goal Setting
Attracting new audiences was job #1. With 6 years between show cycles, the NPE audience saw significant attrition (i.e. people changing careers, retiring, joining the workforce, switching companies). Therefore, the primary goal was to ensure the unique value proposition of the event resonated with a broader audience than had attended in years past. To that point, the event strategy included the development of education on the tradeshow floor - something the event had not previously done.
Creative and Media Development
360 Live Media developed "Made for You" as the event theme that binds all marketing communications and on-site executions. This branding emphasizes how, no matter who you are, plastics touch your life every single day. Additionally, the event was designed to be more personalized to meet the needs of the audience attending. There was something for everyone - from engineering to design to operations to sales to research. The theme also guided strategic decisions about the speaker, sessions, and experience.
The Results
At 360 Live Media, delivering exceptional results for our clients is at the core of everything we do. Our proprietary 6 Rs framework—Reach, Retention, Relevance, Reputation, Revenue and ROI—serves as the lens through which we evaluate the impact of our work. While the campaign is currently live and the show will occur this year, the impact of this campaign can be seen through the success of the Space Draw portion of the event.
Revenue - Sold out the 1.1 Million Sq. Ft. Exhibit Hall in Orlando, including an additional 74,000 square feet of exhibit space sold over the initial goal.
Reputation - 63 testimonial interviews secured on-site during the exhibitor preview event.
Reach - 1,100 exhibitors; On track to hit or exceed the 55,000+ attendee goal
What Our Client Says
"NPE2024 is the plastic industry's premier platform for innovation and collaboration," said Matt Seaholm, President and CEO of the Plastics Industry Association. "By partnering with 360 Live Media and Smithbucklin, we've given our marketing and promotional tools a fresh and vibrant feel that matches the excitement around the return of NPE."