Have trade exhibition shows had there day?

[BrandUK]

Do you think trade shows have had there day? Are they worth the money. I'm at the NEC autumn fair. The show used to be much bigger now majority of the halls are only 3/4 full.

Has the internet effected these shows. It is easier to google and find a supplier.

 

[MOIC]

I think the number of good shows have dwindled.

Most exhibitions in the UK, show the same old things with very little innovation.

Consequently, they are not attended by retailers who are looking for that something different.

You have to choose which exhibitions are best to visit for your products, sadly the UK and especially the Spring Fair and Autumn Fairs are not top of the list.

You have to go abroad for the best fairs.

 

[AllUpHere]

My opinion is that there are much more clever ways of promoting a business than that. That's the way business was done before people realised there are better ways of doing things.

 

[MOIC]

It depends if you are an exhibitor or buyer.

If you are a buyer, it makes sense to visit an exhibition to see new products as well as discussing with the producers at first hand.

The likelihood is that there will be many competitors to be able to compare different products.

As an exhibitor looking to get into national and multi national chains, buyers for these stores generally like to see you in an exhibition that leads the way for the product.

Exhibitions definately do have a role to play in capturing new customers, but there are alternative ways to gain customers.

 

[AllUpHere]

These kind of things work best if you have a new product, or something that is easily differentiated from the competition. It's great to get something like this noticed. However, if what you do is similar to products that already exist, or your product can be seen as a commodity item, I think it's a lot less effective.

 

[MOIC]

Most categories (Not all) must keep producing new items, year by year.

You have to "expose" your products in a variety of different ways to attract orders from existing customers as well as attracting new customers..

Funnily enough, there are many exhibitors who participate in the trade fairs that actually hide their newest products for fear it will be copied by their competitors.

Like everything in business, it's good for some and not so good for others. It depends on your growth strategy.

 

[Tradepage.co]

Exhibition shows are still useful for showcasing products, networking, gauging competition, updates on how an industry is performing etc. The problem usually is when a lack of new innovation is present, shows do tend to start becoming less interesting and begin moving towards become smaller capacity events. Factors such as running too often, not delivering a broad enough interest of the sector, not enough points of interest surely play their part in the decrease in popularity of the event brand, and with such a targeted audience of influential business customers, this seems to happen quickly. There also often seems to reach a point when there is an imbalance of the ratio of good product demonstrations and interactive displays to standard selling approaches.

If you're planning on becoming an exhibitor, consider how long the event has been running previously, the size of the venue, pricing, discussing opinions with previous attendees, along side what the event claims to be offering. It could be a good opportunity (especially if your have something unique on offer), or the potential interest may not be worth the investment with regards to space and stand resources needed.

 

[Gordon544]

I don't feel they have had their day but I do feel there are too many (at least in my sector - food).

One thing which I didn't realise on starting out was that to get the big contracts, in my experience at least, takes a while. 2 of my biggest customers came on board some 9 months after meeting them at a trade show. This also required a lot of persistence in following up.

Meeting buyers face to face is most important for me. I find this is best done at trade shows. But I also find that to get credibility in my market, one has to exhibit for a couple of years.

 

[Socio South West]

The answer to the question is no - unless you are operating in a competitive homogenized market, such as white goods, where there are many competitors and price is king. The days of complete reliance on these exhibitions as possibly a one off marketing thrust are certainly gone, and exhibitions need to be backed up with follow ups by email, websites and other marketing channels.

Many are deterred by the cost and effort required for a small company to exhibit at the likes of Spring and Autumn Fair, but to get your product in front of consumers and trade buyers in the numbers possible at these events, generally the return is worthwhile if you choose the event carefully.

My main bugbear with current shows is large international companies taking very large stands with minimal content and manned by untrained agency staff who smile and hand out brochures

The arithmetic I suggest to anyone planning to exhibit at these shows is that the margin on sales made at the show should at least cover the costs of the show: The profit on doing the show comes from follow ups and new business throughout the following months - and sometimes even years.

 

[Rickenvisage]

In B2B it may be argued that they are a lot more important, but all exhibition offer a captive, targeted audience attending because they have a specific interest in that market sector. Not many other channels can give this kind of face-to-face opportunity to establish relationships with customers.

 

[TMGG]

Exhibitions downsized a good 15 years back thanks to the internet. If I do go I prefer the smaller stalls in the hidden away parts. The larger ones tend to be just just reinforcing brand image.