How to Take the Decision to Attend a Trade-show as Exhibitor or Visitor

WARNING Original content of Marilde Motta – ©ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this text can be utilized, reproduced, transmitted, shared by any means without my prior written permission. Constructive comments are welcome.

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Forewords

Are trade fairs still worthwhile to take part in? The answer is: it depends on some variables and situations we examine in depth in this article. When the trade-show has all the elements to be a valid solution for the aims of a company, there is another question to tackle: to be an exhibitor or a visitor? I have prepared guidelines to help companies in taking the correct decision.

About 38 Trade-shows per Day in the World

How many fairs are held in the world? According to some magazines, monitoring the trade-show industry, more than 14,000 exhibitions are organized in about 200 countries yearly. Enough or not enough? This is not the correct question as the focus should be on quality, that is: tangible and intangible benefits, values and advantages provided by these events to exhibitors as well as to visitors. In fact, trade events are an important economic resource for a town, a geographic area as well as for industrialists’ associations, chambers of commerce, specific sectors. The positive impact of fairs is very wide and beyond the companies’ business.

A Taxonomy of Trade Events

It is important to know the different kinds of trade-shows. In fact, this term is itself very generic (as well as fair) so it is necessary to focus on two words that represent the aim:

-//-exhibition: that is the activities aimed to display and show goods (but also services), demonstrating their features and benefits

-//-commercial exchange: the activities aimed to open and develop trade negotiations and economic business (besides: promoting networking, sector-based knowledge and so on).

Two aims (exhibition and commercial exchange) in some events are tightly linked, in others are separated, so let’s examine a detailed taxonomy considering each type of event because each has specific characteristics and is designed to reach only a clearly defined set of purposes:

§-sector or topic-specific fair: this type is a real market-place focused on a specific industrial sector or on a well-defined topic. Some of these sector-specific events are also country-specific (that is the fair is held only in one country). We are speaking of the most comprehensive solution: where the exhibition of products is coupled with commercial exchanges, where knowledge (through conferences, workshops, tutorials, newsletters, etc..) has a great importance, where there are advanced systems of business match-making and where networking among visitors and exhibitors is helped, where a wide range of opportunities is set. It is not a matter of dimensions (a sector-specific fair can be a specialized niche or represent the whole sector and the related filière), nor of time (it can be held every two/three years or every six months, as in the fashion sector). What makes an event of this kind a sector or topic-specific fair is to be one-stop source offering: exhibition, commercial exchanges, learning, networking and so on

§-sector or topic-specific fair on-call: a peculiar kind of sector\topic-specific fair is the type on-call; that is the organizer of the fair invites only some highly qualified exhibitors in order to keep the event selective and exclusive (often this type of event sets the trends of an industry)

§-international editions of a sector-specific or topic-specific fair: some sector\topic-specific trade-shows, originated in a country and with a long record of successes, are testing new opportunities abroad, exporting the format of the fair. So, some trade-shows are becoming more international, organizing one or more editions abroad. The concept, contents and framework are the same of the exhibition in the original country, but the edition held abroad is intended to serve the host-county’s market and to open over there new opportunities for exhibitors\visitors that are not in the position to travel and visit the trade-show in its country of origin

§-sector-specific roadshow: the roadshow is a kind of exhibition organized by a country (through its industrialists’ associations, chambers of commerce, business organizations, etc..) and is aimed to show the best of a specific sector through its most qualified representatives (leading industries, research laboratories and universities, etc..). The roadshow is held in some countries according to a calendar (or in one country, but in many towns). The exhibition area in not very wide as the aim is to present the best of an industry. The layout is designed in order to give the same importance and visibility to each exhibitor. Generally speaking, the sector-specific roadshow is complemented by some activities as: presentation of researches (about the sector, the country, etc..), business meetings with local buyers, cultural events dedicated to authorities, journalists and influencers. The purpose of this kind of event is mostly to enhance commercial exchanges between the sector-specific industries of a country and the counterpart of the host-country

§-incoming of foreign sector-specific companies: on the opposite side of the sector-specific roadshow organized abroad, there is the incoming of foreign companies. That is, sector-specific companies are invited in a country in order to meet the local potential partners and the local facilities. In this case, there is not an exhibition, but only commercial interchanges. The top managers of foreign companies are invited to visit plants, advanced research centers, universities. This kind of event could be one-to-one (that is, the country inviting and the country invited), or one to many (that is, the country inviting and hosting some invited countries). The main aim is to build joint-ventures in production, research, besides commercial partnership in distribution

§-country presentation: this kind of event is based on exhibitions, conferences, meetings, concerts, festivals and is aimed to promote a wide range of exchanges (economic, cultural, touristic, social, etc..) between the country that presents itself and the country hosting the presentation. The purpose is very wide, far beyond mere commercial aims

§-virtual tradeshow: it is a new kind of exhibition powered by the ICT evolution. Today is mainly used not to replace a physic event, but as a solution to extend it for a long period of time. Using virtual, digital tools it is possible to present a pre-view of the layout of the exhibition, introducing the exhibitors and their most innovative offers, but it is also possible to upload market researches and seminars to help visitors to know more about a specific sector. Besides, through a software it is easy to plan the meetings between exhibitors and visitors and help them to come in contact again after the end of the physical trade-show.

Today, there are some specialized magazines providing information of each scheduled event in any country, so it is easy to pick up the suitable events for the company’s purposes. It is advisable to prepare a list of potential useful events (selected according to some criteria as for instance: the type of event, the country, the main topic, the period of the year, etc..) and then go more in depth analyzing what these events offer, the services, the substantial benefits and opportunities.

Needs, Benefits and Expectations

When it comes to decide to attend an event (exhibition and\or commercial exchange), it is necessary to think to the mentioned taxonomy in order to assess what is the type of event that fits perfectly the company’s purposes and business aims. Then, there are other aspects to be taken into consideration (about needs, benefits, expectations) and it is possible to set a score for each aspect:

§-the event must meet the NEEDS of exhibitors and visitors: needs are both sector-specific and company-specific. As for sector-specific needs, a trade-show organizer should study surveys and researches (for instance, prepared by the leading companies, associations of industrialists, universities and other public or private bodies) in order to have a deep and wide knowledge of a sector and be in the position to offer effective solutions. The trade-show organizer can get closer to companies-specific needs mainly using panels and focus groups with managers. Besides, a trade-show organizer should know the alternatives a potential visitor or exhibitor could take into consideration to find a solution for his needs. For instance, when the need is to be informed, instead of visiting the fair, a manager could read specialized magazine, whilst to know more about competitors a company could buy market researches. When the main need is to increase commercial exchanges, to acquire new clients and other business purposes, likely the best solution is still attending a trade-show as exhibitor. Whilst a trade-show organizer can rely mainly on researches to know companies’ needs and have the full picture (in order to fulfill them and make the attendance of exhibitors and visitors useful as well as profitable in the long term), the company itself should analyze and appraise its own needs. These are different according to the diverse departments. With the aim to make a precise list of needs, a company could start launching an internal audit, just aimed to know the needs of each department. For instance, production department in a company might be interested in the latest updates in technologies, marketing department would be keen in knowing details that can differentiate the perception of a product. The HR department could be interested in knowing in which direction to develop knowledge and skills of the employees in order to be more competitive. When the list of needs is ready, it will be easy to compare it with the contents and services provided by a trade-show and take a decision about the attendance

§-the event must provide specific BENEFITS for visitors: some benefits are clearly presented in the web site of the trade-show, others shall be deducted by reading articles in trade magazines, asking for opinions to companies, anyway advantages and disadvantages as well as pros and cons can be detected in many ways. The most important benefits to be searched are:

-//-a well-defined identity and scope of the exhibition, a clear offer of contents, because companies need to know what kind of impact the fair could have on their own business

-//-easy-to-visit layout of the halls, because visitors do not want to waste their time in search for what they need

-//-studies on memory and on the economy of attention tell us that visitors can remember only a very limited number of items, so it will be very useful a solution helping visitors in organizing and managing the most important data they acquire

-//-enjoyable experiences during the visit (location, settings, atmosphere must be pleasant, relaxing), because noise and mess make the visit shorter. Visitors could leave the fair disappointed even if the exhibition presents a good offer

-//-a comprehensive and in-depth outlook of a sector (the full ramification of a filière: up-stream, down-stream and collateral branches). When the trade-show is not aimed to exhibit the full filière, it is advisable to offer the opportunity to know it through additional events, as conferences and researches, because visitors need to take stock of the full picture

-//-when the trade-show deals with a highly specialized niche or topic, it is necessary to offer the opportunity to know any important element that could affect the development of the niche

-//-knowledge of the state-of-the-art, innovations and trends, the regulatory system, etc… also these items could be offered in conferences and through researches, or catered through the magazine of the trade-show (fairs have some periodicals as news bulletins, newsletters, on\offline magazines)

-//-enable visitors to make the comparison of the different offers (it is necessary to help visitors to plan the visit according to their specific needs, so the web site of the trade-show should offer a system of matching demand/offer)

-//-meet national and international exhibitors and the leading companies. The process of internationalization is under way in any market so it is important to offer the benefit to meet exhibitors from some countries. Whilst meeting leading companies offers the opportunity to know the state of the art

-//-opportunities of networking with other visitors, exhibitors, journalists, key-note speakers and opinion leaders

-//-time is a fundamental element because a trade-show lasts from one to few days, so the event should offer the opportunity to spend time in coherent activities (meet people, learn from conferences, visit booths, etc..), a visitor should never have the impression to be compelled to give up to something important because he\she had not time to visit everything

§-the event must also exceed visitors’ EXPECTATIONS: expectations are different from needs and benefits. Expectations are personal and related to perceptions, opinions, and psychological feelings. For instance, an emotion as anxiety (due to be in an unknown place, or due to have a heavy assignment with goals to be achieved in short time) should be considered by the trade-show organizer. It could offer (in the web site of the event) solutions as an interactive map of the halls that makes easy to reach the booths of potential clients, or a program to facilitate matching demand and offer. A visitor is more than a number, he\she is a person playing a significant part of the event. They release and share opinions and comments according to what they have felt. Unfortunately, many organizers of trade-shows think that visitors are only rational and action-oriented people, that is, they visit the event only for utilitarian reasons. On the contrary, the human relationships, the sensorial experience, emotions, learning and so on, well, all this plays a fundamental role in influencing the final judgement. Happiness should not be shut off from a trade-show

§-the event must provide specific BENEFITS for exhibitors: among the most important benefits there are:

-//-qualified visitors, pertinent and consistent with the content of the trade-show

-//-visitors with decision-making power in order to give business meeting better opportunities to become agreements and sales

-//-a systemic approach integrating the needs of visitors and exhibitors (business match-making) before, during and after the trade-show in a perspective of a long lasting relationship

-//-whilst exhibitors can offer only the knowledge of their products/services, the trade-show organizer should offer a wide and in-depth outlook of the total sector in order to help each exhibitor to make clear their positioning in the landscape of the sector

-//-layout and booths of quality (where it is possible not only to exhibit products but also, when it is necessary, to demonstrate their operation mode, negotiate confidentially, offer a warm welcome to visitors)

-//-supporting services for exhibitors as: press-rooms where to meet journalist, matching systems offer/demand, different solutions of advertising, a useful catalogue of the exhibitors (with full details of contact), sponsored conferences, a magazine dedicated to the fair and so on

-//-media coverage in order to maximize the investment in communications made by each exhibitor, the fair should advertise on different on/offline media, promoting the event and activating relationships with journalists.

Each need and benefit should be analyzed in depth and it is possible to give a score to prioritize each item. It is necessary to pay attention that the importance of a benefit changes according to the kind of event (see the above taxonomy) and it is different from sector to sector (for instance “knowledge” has a different meaning and impact in a fashion fair or in a highly technical fair). Anyway, the list of needs and benefits is crucial to assess the capability of a trade-show to provide valid solutions.

The Ranking of Needs and Benefits

To take the decision about to be a visitor or an exhibitor is a process made of some steps:

-1st step is to prepare a list of needs and benefits: it is an internal audit each company should launch in its different departments to know the kind of needs and the benefits each department wants to get in terms of business and commercial exchanges, in the area of knowledge (about market, competitors, trends, technologies, etc..), in the area of relationships (with clients, prospects, journalists, keynotes) and so on. The list of needs and benefits changes according to each company and is also specific for each department inside the company, for this reason it is unavoidable to organize an internal audit

-2nd step is to assign a score to needs and benefits: in order to create a ranking according to the importance and, sometimes, the urgency in meeting the solution for each need

-3rd step is to make a list of events (exhibitions\commercial exchange): when needs are well-defined and related benefits are weighted and described then it is time to look for the trade-show (or other kind of event) that can really meet the requirements. There are some web sites that offer the full list of all events in the world (selected according to some criteria as: month, topic, geographic area, etc..). When the list of potentially interesting events is ready, next step

-4th is to analyze the benefits offered by the chosen events: in general, in its advertising campaign and in its web site, each trade-show puts in the spotlight advantages, benefits, value propositions, solutions, other items (as: facts and figures about visitors and exhibitors), so it should be easy to compare the company’s needs with the total offer of each event. Benefits offered by the trade-show must provide tangible and intangible solutions. For instance, when innovation is the fundamental company’s need, the related benefits are: the possibility to bring back catalogues of the most innovative exhibitors, reports from conferences and researches offered by the event organizer, as well as to have the opportunity to meet key-notes, experts, journalists of trade magazines. Therefore, comparing company’s needs and benefits offered by each event enables to make a short list of the events offering the best mix of opportunities

-5th step is to decide how to take advantage from the offered benefits: it is possible and even easy to profit of some benefits offered by the trade-show organizer or by the exhibitors simply being a visitor. On the contrary, for some other opportunities it is necessary to be an exhibitor to take the maximum advantage of the overall solutions. Anyway, before deciding to be a visitor or an exhibitor there is another point of paramount importance to be taken into account: the alternatives.

Alternatives, or Integration?

What are the alternatives to a trade-show? Validity and usefulness of alternatives can be measured. For instance in the area of knowledge and information:

-//-magazines are a good and reliable source of information, magazines bring to managers’ attention a wide range of updated and checked news at an affordable price all along the year. During a visit of a trade-show not always it is possible to gather all the needed documents, besides the visit is limited to a few days, whilst the magazine brings information each month

-//-seminars and workshops organized by universities and other qualified institutions are a source to know a topic in depth as well as to have the latest updates, so these qualified seminars are in competition with the ones offered during a trade-show (where, very often, the entrance is free)

-//-the commercial network and sales force of a company could provide market information and trends as they operate directly in the market in different geographic areas. In this case the comparison is not only with the quality of information provided by visiting a trade-show, but also with other sources (as market research providers, chambers of commerce, international trade institutions and so on).

Alternatives do not exclude one another, in many cases it is advisable to design the integration in order to get synergies. An alternative could cancel another only when, all benefits being equal, the efficiency of costs of one prevails over the others. The examination of the alternatives is of great importance in order to take advantage of the best solution. When a company decide to take part in a trade-show as visitor, it is useful to plan the visit eliminating all the waste of time, focusing the visit only on aspects that cannot be sourced in any other way. To fulfil this aim a company can rely on the official website of the trade-show and take advantage of services helping to prepare a rational visit. We have to take into consideration the cost of visit in the short as well as in the long term. This cost in the short time is made of travel, hotel and related expenses as well as of built-in costs (as, for instance, managers staying out of office could create added costs in the slowdown of the workflow). The cost in the long term depends on the results of the visit. For instance in the area of information, the poor quality of gathered data could prevent a company in taking the suitable decisions, or compel the company to buy a research with an additional cost.

To be an exhibitor has heavier costs not only related to building and managing the booth but also due to the general organization, taking some months of work before, during and after the event (see some of my previous articles, as: “Visitors in Trade Fairs: How to Catch Them, Manage and..“). To be an exhibitor offers the opportunity to catch other types of advantages in the business area (as to show new products, meet prospects and clients, and so on).

Visitor and/or Exhibitor?

As already explained, the decision stems from a wide and in depth analyze of the company’s needs, expected benefits and advantages compared with the comprehensive offer of each trade-show. A company should design a strategy (with: well-defined aims, kinds of tangible and intangible results, immediate and long term benefits). The strategy (mostly the precise definition of quality and quantity of expected results) opens the path also to measurements, benchmarks, cost\benefit analyze (the performance, as visitor and\or exhibitor, must contribute successfully to the goals that are the reason why the company attends the event). It should be clear that some objectives can be reached simply visiting the event (or taking advantage from alternative resources), whilst some other objectives require to be an exhibitor, besides there are situations in which it is necessary to organize both a team of visitors and manage its own booth.