TRADE SHOWS

Defination
An exhibition for companies in a specific industry to showcase and demonstrate their new products and services. Generally trade shows are not open to the public and can only be attended by company representatives and members of the press. Also, an exhibition of businesses offering franchises and/or business opportunity packages for sale.

Trade fairs in history

Modern trade fairs follow in the tradition of trade fairs established in late medieval Europe, in the era of merchant capitalism. In this era, produce and craft producers visited towns for trading fairs, to sell and showcase products.

From the late eighteenth century, Industrial Exhibitions in Europe and North America became more common reflecting the technological dynamism of the industrial revolution.

Contemporary trade fairs

Trade fairs often involve a considerable marketing investment by participating companies. Costs include space rental, design and construction of trade show displays, telecommunications and networking, travel, accommodations, and promotional literature and items to give to attendees.

In addition, costs are incurred at the show for services such as electrical, booth cleaning, internet services, and drayage (also known as material handling). Consequently, cities often promote trade shows as a means of economic development.

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Exhibitors attending the event are required to use an exhibitor manual or online exhibitor manual to order their required services and complete any necessary paperwork such as health and safety declarations.

An increasing number of trade fairs are happening online, and these events are called virtual tradeshows. They are increasing in popularity due to their relatively low cost and because there is no need to travel whether you are attending or exhibiting.

TRADE SHOWS IN GENERAL

 Trade shows are sponsored by trade associations for specific industries, and there are thousands of associations running shows every year. Generally trade shows aren't open to the public and can only be attended by company representatives and members of the press. To find an appropriate association for the industry you're interested in, look through the Encyclopedia of Associations published by Gale Research. You may also want to check magazines and newsletters such as Tradeshow Week or go through the Tradeshow Week Data Book. These publications should be available at your local library.

 The space for such shows must be reserved well in advance, and if there's one planned during the next year, the facility manager's office will be able to give you the dates. local Chamber of Commerce can give information about trade shows in your area.

 Exhibiting at a trade show is an excellent way to find customers to help your business grow. According to a study conducted by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), 86 percent of show attendees were the decision-maker or influenced buying decisions, yet 85 percent had not been called on by a salesperson before the show.

 Trade shows are also economical ways of getting sales. The CEIR reports that closing a sale that begins with contact at a trade show runs about half the cost of closing a sale that doesn't have the exhibition advantage: $550 and 1.4 sales calls compared to $997 and 3.6 sales calls. Finally, trade shows are popular, and it's easy to find one that fits your industry and your company's needs. Tradeshow Week lists more than 1,700 annual trade shows in its directory, from the American Bankers Association Convention to the World Alzheimer Congress. You can search for exactly the show you want at Tradeshow Week's online directory.

Why Do Trade Shows?

Exhibiting at a trade show offers you one of the best ways to get in front of a lot of customers and prospects in a relatively short amount of time. Trade shows give you the opportunity to not only show your product or describe your service, but also create that all important first impression.

According to a Simmons Market Research Bureaustudy, 91% of respondents ranked trade shows as "extremely useful" as a source for product purchasing information. This was higher than any other source, including on-site visits from reps. Also, nearly half of the respondents had purchased products or services at the trade show.

How do trade shows work?

Questions to be answered while doing a trade show

Why are you exhibiting? Are you trying to extend your relationship with existing customers? Introducing a new product? Positioning your company within the market? Generating qualified leads for new sales? Countering a competitor's claim? Who is your target audience? What is the message you want to convey? What do you want to get out of the show? Do you want to bring home leads, sell your product/service, or create/improve/build upon your company image? You need specific, measurable goals if you want your trade show activities to succeed

 At a typical national trade show, with 10,000 attendees and 1,000 exhibitors, you can realistically have 200 visitors per day. If you were making sales calls, you could not even approach that number. Granted, you don't always have the opportunity to go into as much detail in your presentation as you would like, but it opens the door for future communications -- a door that sometimes is very difficult to get your foot into. So for most companies, trade shows are worth the effort. In fact, before you decide to nix a show your company has attended for years, think about what that might say to your current customers who expect to see you there

 This is especially damaging if your company has been through recent staffing/management changes, mergers, acquisitions, or other changes your clients may have caught wind of. Your competition will use your absence to their advantage. This doesn't mean you can't ever stop attending a show, but just be sure you think about whom you see there and what your company's absence may lead them to believe. If necessary, send a post card to your primary clients that you know attend that particular show, and explain your decision to attend show B rather than show A.

Selecting the Right Shows

The first place to start is with your industry's associations. These shows will typically be targeted right to your market, and often are reasonable in cost. You can also check with the trade publications you advertise in (or perhaps should be advertising in). Another resource is, of course, the Web. Go toTSNN.com, tscentral.com, or FITA.org for directories of shows around the world in all types of industries. No list is entirely complete, however, so make sure you go to more than one directory.

Vertical vs. Horizontal Markets

Horizontal shows are shows with vendors who are selling a broader variety of products or services, and the attendees usually come from a single market segment and are looking for either very specific products or services or a broader variety. Vertical shows are more narrowly focused to just one type of product and market. The advantage of vertical shows is that the attendees are all from a very specific market, and your objectives for the show can be more focused. The disadvantage is that your product or service must fall exactly within the focus for the show, or you won't get the results you want. Here is an example of these two types of markets: Shows for physical therapists or boating would be vertical, while shows for occupational safety and health services would most likely be horizontal because the attendees would be from all types of markets. There are also variations, with shows that bring in vertical sellers and horizontal buyers and vice versa. This is usually apparent when you look at the list of vendors and the list of attendees. Just remember to keep it in mind when making your choices

Designing and Caring for Your Booth

There are lots of things to take into consideration when purchasing and designing your booth. These include the size and type of booth; that is, do you need a floor model or tabletop model? And, if you need a floor model, does it need to be a large custom booth to communicate the right corporate image, or will a smaller, more versatile floor model work? There is a huge variety of configurations for booths. You can have a large custom booth built that will require multiple booth spaces and a crew of workers to assemble, or you can opt for a smaller, 10foot (3-meter) size that can be easily shipped and assembled and disassembled by your booth staffers. Often, these smaller, modular versions can be broken down and used as two tabletop booths as well.

10*20 modular style

10 panel style

What is your booth budget?

Booth prices vary greatly depending on the size and format. Figure $1,000 (more or less) for a tabletop (graphics make a big difference in pricing); around the $5,000-to-$15,000 range for a 10-foot (3-meter) portable with graphics; and for large 20x20-foot, 20x30-foot or 30x30-foot custom booths, the sky is the limit. (The rule of thumb is $92 to $120 per square foot depending on the design.)

Graphics - Less is More

How do you get your exhibit booth to communicate who you are, what you do, and what your product or service is -- all in three seconds? Sounds impossible, but it isn't. Think about the billboards that you pass on the highway. They have the exact same job. They have to tell you who the company is and what it's selling as you zoom past at 55+ miles per hour. Some work and some don't. The key is usually in the graphics. Graphics can communicate a whole host of impressions at a single glance. Think about the Chick-fil-A billboard with the cows painting the "Eat More Chick'n" sign. It's quick, and to the point. Think of your booth in the same way. Trade show attendees are strolling down the aisle looking at hundreds of booths, and unless you've pulled them to your booth with a pre-show promotion, you have to very quickly make them notice you and want to walk over to your booth.

Making It Happen
First, check with booth vendors in your area. It is important to have local access to your vendor so you can easily go to the showroom to see the products, get ideas, and also be able to easily get support, extra parts, and supplies. Most sales reps will also bring a booth to your office and set it up so you can see it firsthand in your own environment. Many times, booth sales reps are also great resources for ideas for designing your booth. They know what works and how to make your booth effective. Use their experience and advice -- it's typically free! Check references of the vendors you speak with. Talk to their customers and see if they are happy with both their booth and the service from the vendor. Or, go to a local trade show and ask some of the show vendors about their booths and whom they work with. You are about to make a potentially large investment, and a little product research is very valuable.

Managing the Show Schedule & Materials

The most tedious part of any job is usually the paperwork, so if you're involved in managing the company's trade shows -- be prepared! There are forms to be filled out for everything imaginable. So, where do you start? First, you'll contact the show management for the shows you've planned to attend, and ask for an exhibitor application. You should do this as soon as you know you are attending the show because many show managers require paperwork to be turned in and deposits to be paid months in advance. Plus, some shows base your booth location on a first-come, first-served basis. (Others use a point system based on the number of years you've attended the show. You put down your choices, but if someone with more seniority wants the same spot, then you're out of luck and get the next closest thing.)

Network, but do it Right

Make the most of networking, but dont spread yourself too thin. People try to gather as many business cards as they can, Dont stay chained to your booth. Designate people to man it while you work the room Follow up when the show is over. A trade show is only as good as the business it generates, so dont stash that stack of business cards in a to-do-later file. Call, e-mail or send a handwritten note as soon as you return, at most within the first week after the show. Wait too long, and youve lost them.

Cant Afford It? Go Anyway

if you cant afford the price of a booth at a trade show, attend anyway. Ask for a free pass to the vendor/exhibit area.

Once inside, walk around and network, she says. Introduce yourself and tell people what you do, then exchange cards. Youll get almost as much mileage out of being there as if you had a booth.

20 Reasons Why Tradeshows Work for the Exhibitor:

Tradeshows provide Exhibitors with the opportunity to meet clients & prospects & decision makers face-to-face to: 1. Generate leads & drive incremental sales 2. Solidify relationships with current customers 3. Establish relationships with prospects, key target markets & the media 4. Shorten the sales cycle 5. Introduce & promote new products to a new or existing market 6. Enhance brand & product visibility 7. Educate & demonstrate new uses for existing products 8. Obtain feedback on new & existing products 9. Learn the latest industry trends 10. Gain competitors insight

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11. Conduct competitor & market research 12. Network with key industry contacts and key opinion leaders 13. Learn more about the industry they support 14. Have a presence in the industry 15. Gain exposure in new markets 16. Find personnel to grow your company 17. Build sales force moral & foster camaraderie 18. Demonstrate your commitment to a marketplace and your clients 19. Identify new business opportunities 20. Reinforce & test marketing strategies

10 Reasons Why Tradeshows Work for the Attendee:

Tradeshows provide Attendees with the opportunity to: 1. Purchase products at discounted prices 2. Conduct research to ensure you make the best purchase decision 3. Establish relationships with key vendors 4. Learn latest industry trends & technologies 5. Gain insight into what others in your industry are purchasing & why 6. Learn from industry key opinion leaders 7. Discover new products 8. Compare competitive products side by side 9. Meet the people only known previously via phone/email 10. Have the chance to use a product before purchase

 Agritech Asia-Gujarat is one the premier trade shows in India that is concerned with the sector of agriculture. Held over a period of three days, renowned companies will exhibit the latest agricultural equipments and technology such as agricultural equipment and machinery, livestock, dairy farming, renewable energy and other associated products and in this process will be able to interact directly with the customers on a common platform. This event will be an excellent platform for new products and brands to secure their image on the minds of the consumers and get instant feedback. In a country where one third of the population is dependent on agriculture, this event will help the exhibiting companies to understand more properly about the needs of the buyers and network with their peers in an intimate environment. Presence of qualified water industry executives, academia, institutional investors, venture capitalists, analysts, and other experts of the related industry in the show will increase the overall business worth of the event.