Trade fairs are opportunities!
Trade fairs are one of the most important tools for increasing exports. We know that both exporting companies and associations and trade unions, which are the supreme institutions of the sectors, show great interest in the fairs held in our country and abroad. In this context, the relevant state institutions also make great efforts and support the participation of companies in trade fairs.
If we take a closer look, we can see that we have a typical behaviour towards fairs: As a company, we prepare a stand as well as possible according to the concept of the fair and the products we want to exhibit, and then we try to attract the attention of buyers to come to the stand, receive them with our traditional hospitality, and introduce our products.
However, I can say that there are many additional activities that need to be done before, during and after the trade fair in order to get the real benefit from the fairs. It is possible to group the benefits that can be gained from the exhibition environment under the following headings.
I have observed that we generally only focus on the first two of these benefits when attending trade shows. However, in addition to preparing a good stand, there is a long list of things to do before the show. This list includes checking all the other companies that will be attending the fair by opening a stand, identifying the companies that will be visited or contacted during the fair, ranking them in order of importance, drawing up a programme and, if possible, arranging an appointment with them in advance.
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While part of the team attending the fair will be presenting new products to customers at the stand, part of the team should be systematically gathering information on the current situation of the sector and the competition, as part of the programme drawn up beforehand.
After the exhibition, while carrying out activities to maintain and deepen communication with our existing and potential customers visiting our own stand, the information collected during the exhibition about the global sector and competitors should be discussed, analysed, interpreted, and reported. The report to be produced will be an important source for strategic decision-makers, as it will be an up-to-date document that will shed light on the current and near future of the sector.
If you attend a trade show but are unable to convert the communication you have with the customers who contact you afterwards into sales, or if you do not have access to detailed industry analysis including competitors, you are wasting resources.
Finally, when you attend a trade fair, if you see a Japanese company with a stand, I suggest you carefully observe the behaviour of its staff. In general, you will notice that they work with the harmony of a basketball team.
Haluk üNALDI