Trade Fair Information

It is important to do research, see the following tips offered by Gemma Freeman from Source Resource http://www.sourceresource.ie

Contact:
 

Gemma Freeman, Managing Director @ 087 2492025 Email: gemma@sourceresource.ie

Web: www.sourceresource.ie

Trade Fairs function by:

·         Offering market concentration  reflecting the markets they represent providing an experience that appeals to all human senses guaranteeing and increasing the transparancy of the marketplace opening up new markets  enabling a direct comparison of price and performance  encouraging an intensive exchange of information

 TOP  10 Objectives of trade fair participation include:

1. ·         Acquisition of new customers
2. ·         Increasing market penetration
3. ·         Developing company profile
4. ·         Customer care
5. ·         Presentation of new products / services
6. ·         Improving Image of company / brands
7. ·         Opening up new markets
8. ·         Conclusion of sales and contracts
9. ·         Meeting new cooperation partners
10. ·         Market research

***   Something to consider – Once-off participation in trade fairs does not pay off! ***

The criteria for selecting the right trade fair:

·         Do the sector, theme, product categories and location match your product profile and marketing objectives?

·         Will a representative range of goods be on offer?

·         Will you reach your target markets ?

·         Will you reach your customer target groups ?

·         Will you attract new customer target groups?

Sources of Information:

All reputable trade fair organisers offer a comprehensive range of literature and data to assist you in assessing the suitability of an individual trade fair for your company.

• ·          Catalogues from  the previous event both online and in print form
• ·          Structure of the product range and nomenclature
• ·         Exhibitor and visitor statistics/breadkowns from previous events
• ·         Visitor profile tests
• ·         Results of exhibitor surveys

The reliability of the data is guaranteed if the statistics have been audited as is the norm in the case of reputable national and international organisers and events.

 

Basic Costs of participation in trade fairs

It is essential to prepare a detailed costing in advance of trade fair participation. The basic cost components are as follows:

• ·         Space rental, power supply etc. (basic costs)
• ·         Stand construction and decoration
• ·         Catalogue Entries and Communications
• ·         Shipping, Transport, Insurance and waste disposal
• ·         Personnel and travel Costs
• ·         Client Entertainment (on stand refreshments, etc.)
• ·         Other costs: Brochures, pre-fair promotions, advertising and public relations, samples, promotional gifts etc.

 

Form of participation -  Individual or joint participation:

Individual participation in a trade fair with your own stand represents the best opportunity for a successful presentation.There are however other participation options available.

·         It can be useful initially to exhibit as a co-exhibitor on the stand of a company which is not a competitor and with which you are on friendly terms. The exhibits of a co-exhibitor must also comply with the nomenclature of the event..Co-exhibitors may be listed in their own right in the fair catalogue.

• ·         Co-exhibiting on the stand of your regional/national distributor
• ·         Participation in a group stand
• ·         Participation in a National Stand

 

Making trade fair participation work for your company:

Before the Fair:

The main communication objective before the fair is to show that the company is exhibiting at the fair, in order to acquire as many qualified visitors as possible. Consequently, attracting and inviting visitors on the stand is one of the most important actions to undertake before a fair. Exhibitors' communication activities before a fair include:

§ Making full use of the promotions package offered by the fair organisers

§ Making full use of the online facilities (exhibitor login, appointment scheduler/fair organiser, checklists, budget calculators ,technical order forms etc) provided by the fair organisers via the event website

§ Availing of the business matchmaking/database services offered by the fair organisers

·         Direct mailings to specific target groups (existing customers, prospects, decision-makers, press, opinion leaders, etc.);

·         Advertising in exhibitors' catalogues/CD-ROM/online portal. For almost all fairs and exhibitions, a catalogue and/or a CD-ROM with the list of the exhibiting companies is published by the organizer. It is possible for the exhibitors to place advertisements in these publications.

·         Advertising in specialised trade magazines. Sometimes, such publications release special editions about a fair and offer possibilities for advertising. It should be very clear that advertising does not mean editorial coverage.

·         Issuing press releases to the specialised trade press in the appropriate language variant

·         Outdoor advertising. Advertisements in public areas, at airports, train stations, or on the access routes to the fairground can be very effective.

·         Internet. Exhibitors can use Internet to inform and promote their fair participation on their own homepage or through advertisement on the organizer's website or other websites.

During the Fair

It is essential to record the details of all visitors to your stand for follow up purposes

Alongside  stand design, the information materials available on the stand play an important role. The "What"  "how", "when", "to whom" regarding the distribution of information materials should be carefully considered. Also important is an accurate estimation of the quantity of available materials.

In general exhibitors at trade fairs have to deal with three groups of visitors on the stand

1. ·         technical-oriented visitors;
2. ·         management-oriented visitors;
3. ·         press visitors.

Appropriate information materials should be available for these three visitors' groups. Examples of information materials are: general brochures, technical leaflets, product information, catalogues, corporate newsletters, lists of references, price lists, and press releases. During foreign fairs, the information materials should be correctly translated in the language of the country or in a major foreign language.

Communicating on the stand can also include:

§ Product/machine demonstrations. Wherever possible, real machines should be shown in operation on the stand. It would even be better if the machine would produce items, which the visitors could take away with them.

§ Efficient communication with the press is a factor for successful fair participation, especially if the exhibitor introduces innovations or raises interesting topics. Press centres, where exhibitors can leave their press materials, operate in almost all exhibition centres in the world.

After the Fair

With the objective of keeping current customers and making them loyal for the next trade fair, it is essential to carry on communicating with exhibitors and visitors, even when the event is over.