I like this question a lot, and think it's cool that you get to contribute to the planning of this event. It's a little difficult to make recommendations without knowing a bit more about the event itself, and, as you describe it, the kinds of "connections and services" the organizer can put into play. Since you're in the UK, my mind immediately jumped to Rezzed, so for whatever reason, I'm going to operate with the assumption that your event also features both a "floor" where the public/press can go hands-on with upcoming titles, and maybe some talks or conferences in addition.
Regardless, a few thoughts:
1. First and foremost, anything that the event's organizers can do to promote the games on display through their own channels is obviously key. You clearly allude to this in your post, but to expand on that, I think the Indie Megabooth folks do a great job with this: blog posts, podcasts, social media, etc. They have created a brand unto itself (which obviously doesn't happen overnight), and the games that exhibit with them gain a level of notoriety and prestige that they might not otherwise achieve on their own.
2. Along those lines, I like the idea of having a scheduled live presentation, with online video stream, that showcases a few of the more notable games/teams. The closest comparison would be like what some of the major outlets do at E3 (G4, Gamespot, etc.), but in terms of event organizers who did this for their own events, I really liked what Double Fine did for
Day of the Devs earlier this month.3. Create a system for exhibitors and the press to connect with each other prior to the event. This can be a simple as an online database of contact info that can only be accessed by those who are registered. If you really want to get fancy, implement a messaging system, so you can gain some insights into how its being used and make improvements for future events.
That's all I got for now, hope it's a good starting point. Good luck tomorrow, and let us know how it goes!
Developer
