Increased attendance during Code Yellow alert Smart marketing in the post 9-11 environment By Marian R. Calvin, Director of Marketing The Homeland Security Advisory System defines a Code Yellow or Elevated alert as a “significant risk of terrorist attack.” Our country was on Elevated alert from September 25 last year through the first months of this year, and during this period, staff at the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) were in the final stages of planning InspectionWorld “Branding the Future of Home Inspection” in Orlando, January 15-18, 2003. ASHI was justly concerned that the alert would have a negative impact on attendance. At final count, 1371 people attended InspectionWorld (a 32% increase over the 2002 event) with the highest percentage of exhibitors and non-members ever. How did they do it? According to Carlos Tabora, Marketing Director for ASHI, the key step began right after the 2002 event: ASHI took a long, hard look at its educational programming and conference schedule. “We were feeling the impact of competing shows, and we had to make sure the product we were bringing to the marketplace was strong enough to draw our entrepreneurial audience away from their businesses for a couple of days.” Tifanni Sterdivant, CMP, ASHI’s Meetings Coordinator, outlined how ASHI promoted their new, improved program: “We decided to focus on the importance of professional development in a turbulent economy, by giving our inspectors tools that would help them to stand out from their competition. We stepped up our marketing pieces with vibrant color, personalized HTML e-mails, and outreach to related markets. Our marketing plan was simple, yet flexible enough to try new things. We expanded our reach to past members, affiliates/suppliers and prospects, which also helped to increase our membership. We worked with suppliers to expand sponsorship opportunities, to reciprocate e-mail links, to distribute brochures in their mailings, and to host adjunct meetings. As a result we tripled our sponsorship revenues.” The list goes on—they launched their online registration earlier, used hotel and CVB resources to promote the Lake Buena Vista venue, promoted the value of staying at the conference hotel, and more. ASHI’s success during uncertain times is based on a strong one-two punch: Continuous improvement of audience-pleasing, competition-busting programming, then tactical, timely promotion to the right audiences. Congratulations, ASHI.