ASI Chicago was a monumental moment for the industry. After being starved for in-person events for over a year and a half due to the COVID-19 pandemic, promo pros were cut loose on July 13 at McCormick Place, for the first industry trade show.

As you walked down the red carpet (an ASI signature), you could feel a sense of joy radiating off suppliers and distributors that were excited to be back, doing business in-person. Vendors stopped, mid-demo to hug friends they hadn’t seen off a Zoom screen in 18 months, while colleagues who hadn’t socialized outside of virtual happy hours, caught up within arms-distance of one another without wearing a mask. For many, it felt like old times.

“ASI Show reopened the promotional products industry and Chicago by hosting the city’s very first trade show since the pandemic shutdown – and the industry’s first real trade show since ASI Fort Worth 2020.” – Tim Andrews, ASI

“ASI Show reopened the promotional products industry and Chicago by hosting the city’s very first trade show since the pandemic shutdown – and the industry’s first real trade show since ASI Fort Worth 2020,” said Tim Andrews, ASI CEO.

Social for Live Events
For the promotional products industry, implementing social media has notoriously been on the back burner for harried professionals focused on making sales versus creating the perfect Instagram Reel, but this trade show was different.

Pushed to embrace technology in the wake of the pandemic, thoughtful and creative social media coverage was utilized by multiple attendees, and produced a serious case of FOMO for some and a behind-the-scenes glimpse of an ASI trade show for others.

“I absolutely love networking, so to have the opportunity to meet wonderful people who have such a passion for promo was my favorite part of the event.”– Simi Kasakwe, American Solutions for Business

“I absolutely love networking, so to have the opportunity to meet wonderful people who have such a passion for promo was my favorite part of the event,” said Simi Kasakwe, Public Relations Specialist for American Solutions for Business.

While social media professionals continue to fight perceptions that social media is “easy” or a job that you can delegate to an intern, ASI Media’s Melissa Newman and Vin Driscoll sit down to discuss the importance of social media marketing at live events and how it can deliver real results for your business. They talk about creating a strategy (5 months in advance), working with internal stakeholders to plan content and coverage, fielding customer service questions and building community across platforms. It’s a great episode, so let’s dive in.

ASI Chicago Social Media Metrics: July 12 – 18, 2021

Facebook
Followers: Up 26%
Impressions: Up 33%
Engagement rate: Up 41%
Most popular post

LinkedIn
Followers: Down 3%
Impressions: Up 98%
Engagement rate: Up 20%
Most popular post

Instagram
Followers: Up 275%
Impressions: Up 272%
Engagement rate: Up 17%
Most popular post

Podcast Chapters (Only available on desktop)
02:11: ASI Chicago Recap
11:25: Terry Bradshaw Keynote
16:50: Social Media at ASI Chicago
26:00: Strategy and Tactics ASI Used

Watch on Youtube

Simi Kasakwe, Public Relations Specialist, American Solutions for Business

Cliff Quicksell, CEO, Quicksellspeaks

Additional Links

ASI Central YouTube Playlist: ASI Chicago 2021

ASI Chicago Across Social Media

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