Visiting a trade show

Whether you are an exhibitor or a visitor, trade fairs and consumer shows are great places to network and forge good business relationships. Face-to-face contact with customers and suppliers can make the wheels of your business turn more smoothly. You can meet new prospects and find new sources of revenue.

Visiting

One of the main benefits of attending an exhibition is that you can meet large numbers of useful people in one place.

Trade show visitors, like exhibitors, need to plan ahead to make the most of these opportunities. It’s worth setting up appointments in advance so that you don’t waste too much time browsing and talking to people you already know. It’s vital that you focus on meeting the most useful people for your business.

There will be opportunities to network with other visitors. The organisers can provide detailed information about the type of people who attend their show including their business activity, their job titles and their spending power.

Don’t leave your meetings to chance. Before the show, it’s worth making contact with the key people you want to see, such as customers, prospects and suppliers. Make arrangements to meet and ensure you have their mobile telephone number. Do your own research before an event so you are well prepared for your meetings. Take plenty of business cards and any literature you want to give out.

Opportunities for visitors at exhibitions

Exhibitions and fairs provide the chance to meet suppliers, check out new developments and keep a close eye on your competition. You can get your hands on new products, attend demonstrations and compare features and prices. At the same time, you can meet exhibitors and ask them detailed questions.

Networking at exhibitions

Make time to attend relevant events that are running alongside the show. Speeches by important industry figures, workshops, seminars and panel discussions can be informative and attract many of the key players in a sector.

These events are ideal environments for networking. Introduce yourself — everyone is wearing a badge and is there to talk business. By taking the initiative, you can promote yourself and your business and make valuable contacts. A good approach is to get invited to receptions and hospitality suites.

Exhibiting

Exhibiting at the right exhibition is important. Exhibitions are a powerful marketing tool, they provide a platform for you to showcase your products and services. If the event is done well the return on investment that exhibitions can bring can be very high and you will see the rewards. You must establish who you are trying to reach out to before you choose which exhibitions to attend. One can choose to exhibit at many exhibitions but then you have to make sure you get a good return from every event.

The biggest exhibitions are not necessarily the most important as small business can get lost in a huge event. Sometimes choosing exhibitions that have a conference or seminar running alongside them can work to your advantage as it will attract more visitors.

When it comes to booking your space at exhibitions this is a very important factor too. Although the size of the stand isn’t always important, it’s what you do with the space that counts. People think the bigger the better but sometime the message you put across doesn’t work how you want it to. Exhibitions allow you to showcase the best qualities that your company provide so pick wisely.

Exhibitions also allow you to boost your marketing, let people know which shows you are going to be at and possibly get featured in relevant industry magazines. This will make your presence felt at all your exhibitions.

Choosing the wrong trade show to exhibit your business’s products or services can result in displaying to the wrong audience. Poor promotion can mean the costs of attending the trade show outweigh any revenue you gain.

Food Trade Affairs can recommend or represent you at relevant exhibitions that would help you create the network needed to expand the reach of some of your businesses. We can help you prepare diligently for a Trade Mission or exhibition. We work with businesses to ensure their success in international markets through exports.