Being an exhibitor at a Trade Show can offer you an unique way of combining marketing with sales, taking advantage of the power of each activity.

As an exhibitor you can pack a whole lot of marketing and sales activity into a short time and single location.  You get to showcase your products and services as well as see what your competition is doing.

You can meet with qualified prospects, decision makers and influencers all under one roof. 

Trade shows provide an environment where you can interact with prospects and clients in one location, making more efficient use of your time.  You can pack in meetings with potential prospects or even clients.  You’re there - so it’s a matter of having them come to you.

Trade shows attract active buyers. Statistics show that over 50 % of trade show visitors are considering a purchase within the next 12 months.

Interaction at a trade show accelerates the sales cycle. Sales leads generated at a trade show cost 56% less than from field contacts. (Source http://www.ceir.org)

Prospecting among highly qualified audiences.

Trade show visitors often include “hard to reach” decision makers and influencers who attend to keep up with the industry.

The following table lists reasons attendees give for visiting a trade show:

Be seen to be a player in the market

Sometimes you just have to be there – as your competition is.  An effective presence can bolster your client’s and prospect’s confidence in your organisation.

Showcasing new products and services

Traditionally, trade shows and Exhibitions allow you to showcase new products and services aimed at both existing customers as well as prospects.

Market Intelligence

Industry/competitive research allows you to find out what your competition is doing. 

It also generates qualified leads, gives you the opportunity to talk to the industry press, research customer needs and provides the opportunity to see what your competition is up to.

Trade Shows can be expensive relative to other marketing methods.  If you don’t have clear metrics and accurate reporting, the whole exercise can easily turn into a financial nightmare.

Taking out a booth is going to cost you money - and usually lots of it.  Compared to other forms of direct advertising where you target your prospects and know what it costs to get a client, trade shows can be expensive as you may not be able to accurately calculate your ROI.

You must have a good system of capturing leads and following them up on an on-going basis.

You’d be amazed at the number of times leads never get followed up appropriately.  Not following up in a timely manner risks you totally wasting your time, money and effort exhibiting.

Trade Shows can be a high-risk investment – with little ability to test variables

Being a proponent of Direct Marketing principles where you can test and measure each variable (and the only arbiter of success is sales), trade shows can be pretty nebulous.  You have to have an accurate handle on what your costs are and how much you’re going to spend to get a qualified prospect and ultimately a client.

So you need to be very clear on where and why you’re spending money.