If your attendees are already avid LinkedIn users, why not have them help spread the word about your show? That’s what Nielsen Business Media did when it worked with registration, lead management and event marketing provider Convention Data Services (CDS) to build a LinkedIn application programming interface (API) into the registration process for its upcoming GlobalShop 2010 show, which will be held March 10-12 in Las Vegas.

During the event’s registration process, clicking on a LinkedIn logo displayed on the final registration page lets attendees log into their LinkedIn accounts to update their status and notify selected contacts that they’ve registered for the upcoming event, without interrupting the registration process. The feature is also accessible from the email confirmation attendees receive once the registration process is completed.

For the GlobalShop event, a single page lets registrants update their LinkedIn status with a pre-loaded message — “I just registered for GlobalShop 2010” — which includes a registration link that others can follow, as well as send messages to selected people in their contact list through LinkedIn’s internal
mail system to inform them that they’ll be attending the show by using either a preloaded message that includes a registration link or crafting their own.

“It’s a great viral way to get the message out to truly qualified people,” says Nate Knight, CDS Marketing Manager. “Most of my LinkedIn contacts will be interested in the same things I am and might be interested in going to the same show or learning more about it. Or if people are on the fence about attending, seeing that someone they’d like to meet up with is already going could push them along.”

Although Nielsen chose to build the feature into its registration site, Knight says the API could be built into any site, such as a  show’s existing social networking or show site. CDS is currently working on a similar app that will integrate with Facebook.

Pricing for the feature is still being determined. To learn more, contact CDS at 800-548-9299 or
www.conventiondataservices.com.