Trade Fairs, Exhibitions & Conferences: People First
The more the world gets digital, the more we have to meet.
In the digital age the importance of the person-to-person contact is rising even more. Trade fairs and exhibitions therefore may be called the people media.
Face to Face Contact is the most persuasive form of selling, and of building and maintaining customer relationship. In an increasingly digital age, trade fairs and exhibitions are the only sales and marketing tools where buyer, seller and product physically come together.
Thus trade fairs and exhibitions are one of the most powerful and cost-effective media available.
They combine the targeting of direct mail, the power of personal selling, the mass-reach of advertising and the transparency benefits of the internet. In this unique environment a wide range of sales and marketing objectives and be pursued.
UNIQUE BENEFITS TO EXHIBITORS AND VISITORS
To get the most out of them, it is vital to understand the unique advantages trade fairs and exhibitions offer, both to the exhibitor and the visitor:
- Highly focused
With their specific profiles, and highly targeted audiences, exhibitions allow to direct sales and marketing efforts very selectively and in a cost-effective way, generating the strongest form of sales leads. - Two-way communication
Unlike direct mail, magazines and papers, exhibitions create a two-way communication process. Visitors can question and debate; exhibitors can as well give as seek information. - Media of the ‘six senses’
At an exhibition, buyers can see, listen, taste, smell, touch and experience products and services for themselves. This allows the unbeatable impact of a live communicative demonstration. - Proactive buyers
Exhibition visitors are pro-active recipients of sales and marketing messages. They make a conscious decision to attend, setting aside valuable time to do so. - Fast market entry
As exhibitor and trade visitor you can reach a large proportion of the market in a short time, thus achieving more in two or three days at an exhibition than you might otherwise realise in months. - Export markets
Exploring and entering new export markets via exhibitions is a major advantage for exporting companies. - Combining benefits in a multifunctional way
The above stated benefits are not unique to exhibitions. What is really unique is their combination in a single, highly flexible marketing tool, creating an environment in which a wide range of marketing and sales objectives can be reached.
DRIVING FORCES FOR THE ECONOMY
The regional and national economic effects of trade fairs and exhibitions are crucial:
As a rule of thumb each Euro spent at the exhibition centre brings between 5 and a maximum of 9 Euros to the region.
- Generating direct spending on local hotels, restaurants, transport companies, stand constructors and other service providers
- Creating employment
directly, in convention centres, hotels, restaurants etc,
indirectly, by assisting the development of small and medium-sized enterprises - Raising the profile of the exhibition city and the region
