Trade shows can be one of the biggest investments in an industrial marketing budget, requiring significant time, money and resources. So how can marketers make sure that investment pays off? This week, we discuss everything from the 18-month planning cycle, to prepping your sales team, to accurately following up and reporting on quality leads.

In this episode, Wendy Covey is joined by TREW Marketing’s Kara Koch and Vicki Klanang Pfister to break down how industrial marketers can take a more strategic approach to 2026 and 2027 trade shows, from deciding which events deserve a spot on the calendar to creating an experience that attracts the right people.

The conversation starts with strategy. Rather than attending an event simply because the company has always been there, marketers should consider business goals, target audiences, past performance and the desired outcome of each show. Those factors should also determine the level of participation, whether that means exhibiting, speaking, sponsoring or simply walking the show.

They also discuss why successful trade show planning starts earlier than many marketers realize. Major events may require commitments 12 to 18 months in advance, while detailed booth, messaging and promotional planning should begin months before the show.

But logistics are only part of the equation. Kara and Vicki share ways to build pre-show campaigns, align marketing and sales, establish clear lead qualification criteria, tailor booth messaging to the event audience and give attendees a compelling reason to stop by. They also cover common mistakes, from scanning every badge to staffing booths with disengaged employees.

Whether you're planning one major trade show or an entire event calendar, this episode covers all the bases to a successful industrial B2B tradeshow strategy.

Resources

• Connect with Vicki on LinkedIn
• Connect with Kara on LinkedIn
• Connect with Wendy on LinkedIn
• Learn more about TREW's Marketing Strategy Service
• Explore TREW's Case Studies
• Register for the Industrial Marketing Summit
• Download the 2026 State of Marketing to Engineers Research Report

Quarterly marketing reviews are more than a chance to report results. They're an opportunity to align leadership, evaluate what's working, identify what needs to change, and prioritize the initiatives that will drive the next quarter forward. TREW Marketing President Jennifer Dawkins shares her framework for running productive quarterly marketing reviews that keep teams focused on business goals, spark meaningful discussions, and ensure future decisions are backed by data.

In this episode, TREW Marketing President Jennifer Dawkins shares her framework for running productive quarterly reviews. She explains that effective quarterly reviews should begin by revisiting the marketing goals established during planning. Rather than diving straight into dashboards, she recommends reminding stakeholders of the objectives everyone agreed upon and highlighting the major initiatives executed during the quarter. From there, marketers can review high-level health metrics before taking a deeper look at significant campaign performance, unexpected trends, and lessons learned.

One of the episode's key takeaways is that marketers don't need to report every metric they track. While detailed data helps marketing teams optimize their work, leadership is primarily interested in metrics that influence business decisions. Jennifer encourages marketers to tailor reporting to their audience by focusing on business outcomes, meaningful anomalies, and initiatives tied directly to strategic goals. The result is a more collaborative discussion that leads to informed decisions instead of simply reviewing numbers.

The conversation also explores several trends TREW has observed across industrial marketing clients. While organic website traffic continues to decline, AI referral traffic is steadily increasing. More importantly, the visitors who do arrive are proving to be higher quality, spending more time on websites and converting at higher rates.

Whether you're reporting to executives or leading your own marketing team, it's critical to define success before campaigns begin, measure what matters most, and use quarterly reviews as an opportunity to refine your strategy.

Resources

• Connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn
• Connect with Wendy on LinkedIn
• Learn more about TREW's Marketing Strategy Service
• Explore TREW's Case Studies
• Register for the Industrial Marketing Summit
• Download the 2026 State of Marketing to Engineers Research Report

Breaking into a technical industry can feel intimidating for marketers, especially when you're surrounded by engineers, product experts, and complex technologies. But you don't need to become an engineer to become an effective industrial marketer. In this episode, you'll learn practical strategies for building confidence, creating stronger content, and connecting with technical audiences. \

In this episode, Natae, Content and Brand Marketing Manager at Novaspect, shares how she immerses herself in new industries and markets by interviewing customers and subject matter experts, joining industry organizations, reading trade publications, and learning the language her audience uses. She explained her goal isn't to know every technical detail. It's to understand why customers care and what challenges they're trying to solve.

The conversation also explores the growing importance of authentic, human-centered content. While product specifications and technical capabilities still matter, the people behind the brand often create the strongest performance across social media platforms. From showcasing company culture to capturing unscripted interviews with sales engineers at trade shows, Natae has found that genuine content consistently outperforms overly polished marketing.

The episode also highlights why content creation shouldn't be limited to the marketing department. Encouraging leaders, salespeople, HR professionals, and technical experts to share their knowledge helps build trust, supports recruiting, and extends a company's reach. Marketing's role becomes one of enabling, amplifying, and repurposing that expertise across channels.

Whether you're new to industrial marketing or looking for fresh ways to strengthen your strategy, this episode offers practical advice for building credibility, creating better content, and connecting with technical audiences in a meaningful way.

Resources

• Connect with Natae on LinkedIn
• 
  
• Connect with Wendy on LinkedIn
• 
  
• Learn more about Novaspect
• 
  
• Download the 2026 State of Marketing to Engineers Research Report
  
  
• Related Episode: AI Visibility: The Future of Search Optimization