Organization of and Participation in Business Expositions and Trade Fairs (physical and digital ones).

A trade fair (trade show, trade exhibition or expo) is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products, service, study activities of rivals and examine recent market trends and opportunities. In contrast to consumer fairs, only some trade fairs are open to the public, while others can only be attended by company representatives (members of the trade, e.g. professionals) and members of the press, therefore trade shows are classified as either "Public" or "Trade Only". A few fairs are hybrids of the two; one example is the Frankfurt Book Fair, which is trade-only for its first three days and open to the general public on its final two days. They are held on a continuing basis in virtually all markets and normally attract companies from around the globe. For example, in the U.S. there are currently over 250 trade shows held every year, and several online directories have been established to help organizers, attendees, and marketers identify appropriate events.

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.

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.

Large trade fair grounds:

List of major trade fairs

International trade fairs

Attending trade fairs abroad, either as an exhibitor or a customer, can be an excellent way to test and open up foreign markets and find new suppliers.

If you're thinking of exhibiting, it's a good idea to make an exploratory visit first, in order to make contacts, do some research and see the competition. You should then be well placed to find the right fair and position your business effectively.

Getting help

Some obvious issues to consider are differences in language and legislation. More difficult to pin down are cultural aspects of doing business in other countries. Try getting information from the country's embassy in the UK, international Chambers of Commerce or foreign trade associations.

UK Trade & Investment's Tradeshow Access Programme helps businesses new to exporting take part in overseas exhibitions. Your business may be eligible for funding to help you attend overseas exhibitions

Following up from a trade fair

Don't go back to work after a trade fair and forget all about the useful information and leads you have gathered. Following up after the event is probably the most important part of the whole process - if you put it off for too long, you risk losing all the benefits you worked so hard to achieve.

· Have a debriefing with the staff involved to assess what worked and what didn't.

· Discuss how you can make improvements for future events while your impressions are still fresh.

· Measure your success against the goals you established before the fair.

· Follow up all the leads you made. Depending on their interest, follow-up could be anything from a sales visit to a phone call, email, letter or information pack.

· Evaluate the success of these leads. You will probably want to wait a few months to do this - moving from contact to customer can take a while.

· Follow up leads with other people who visited your stand, including media representatives who might be looking for post-fair stories to run.

· If you intend to exhibit again, reserve your place so you get the best site next year.

Date: 2016-03-03; view: 703