Reasons to Exhibit in a Trade Show

I've managed public assembly facilities for over 30 years and have found many exhibitors do not really focus on why they are exhibiting at a trade show.

Definitions.

Trade Show - an exhibition that is only open to members of a specific industry and not the general public. A lot of times, trade shows are in conjunction with an industry convention. Orders may be written at the show, but it unusual to find retail-type transactions.

Public Show - an event that is open to the public and generally revolves around a theme; such as a boat show, Christmas show, craft show, RV/Camper show. The object of these shows are for retail sales. In the craft and Christmas type shows, exhibitors sell merchandise and customers walk out with merchandise.

At several trade shows, several exhibitors have told me they didn't really want to be there, but their boss makes them exhibit because their competition in there. This reason, although not a really good one, is justification that someone did some research and decided the investment was worthwhile.

If you are considering exhibiting in a trade show, you need to determine if the investment is worth it to you. How? You should develop some reasonable goals and objectives that would enable you to measure your success.

Some of the intangible things to consider in determining your "fit:"

Everyone attending has the potential to buy/use your product or products

You have to opportunity to introduce new products and get instant feedback from your customers

You have the opportunity to become a face, not just a voice on the phone to your customers

With the proper display, you can show the overall professionalism of your company

Your customers can pretty much do a side-by-side comparison of your products vs. those of your competitors

You can do a pre-event mailing or two to bring customers to your exhibit

You can gain awareness of how your competitors operate

You have the ability to gather names, phone numbers of potential clients and contact after the event

You can distribute brochures and other literature

All-in-all, trade shows are an excellent way of marketing your products/services; however, you must keep in mind not to expect instant gratification from trade shows. You may write some business, but most of the sales come after people have had the opportunity to digest the information they received at a trade show.

Generally, making the investment to exhibit at a trade show is worthwhile, you just need to understand what to expect. You must have a realistic expectation of results.

Steven R Rosenblatt is: a veteran public assembly facility manager, a member of the International Association of Assembly Managers (IAAM), has written many articles related to facility management and operation.