Click on Best of Show Shopping Cart to buy the new training DVD "Essential Dots Points". When you apply the ideas it contains, you are practically guaranteed to produce outstanding results at any trade or consumer show that you do, anywhere in the world.
Read "Conquering the UK" in the December 2005 copy of NZBusiness to pick up some tips on exhibiting at an international trade fair for the first time.
Read "Just Visiting Thanks" in the December 2004 issue of NZBusiness for some pointers on how to make your next trade fair visit a success.
How will you find the right companies at an international trade fair?
An international trade fair is one of the most cost effective marketing activities available. Nowhere else can you see such a concentration of companies in your industry. What’s more everyone is there to do business. This presents a unique opportunity, whether you are selling or prospecting. It is also the forum for relationship building and finding out about the latest products and trends that will affect your business.
How will you take advantage of it? It’s about planning and the best use of your time at the fair. You have no time to waste. Even the longer fairs do not last more than seven days, some run for only three days. You do not have time when you get there to work out how best to use your time. Here are some questions that you will need to address to make the most of your investment in time and money.
- How do you choose the best fair?
- How can you involve your key customers and strengthen your relationships with them?
- What should be your main objectives and how will you measure success?
- When should you start planning your trip? Why do people advise me to start so early?
- There may be 1,000 or even over 2,000 exhibitors. How do I work out which ones I should be attempting to visit?
- What is the best way to add all this information to my marketing database?
- What are the five essential things to do before I get on that plane?
- How can I make sure that the companies that I want to see will have the time to see me?
- There is such a large number of halls. How can I make best use of my time?
- Why is a post-trade fair plan as important as a pre-trade fair plan?
How are you going to maximise the benefits and capitalise on the opportunity? Do seek good advice. Mistakes can be expensive and you will often have to wait a year or more to learn from them.
