Trade fair

A trade fair is a meeting held annually, generally lasting one week, in which companies or entities of the same commercial activity exhibit their products and services. Fairs are also known as exhibitions, with the term trade fair reserved to designate general exhibitions in which products from different industries are shown. If the former are aimed at the professional public, the latter are aimed at the lay visitor. The fairs bring together exhibitors from the same sector, constituting an excellent meeting point between manufacturers, their suppliers and their clients. In them, companies present their latest innovations and carry out product demonstrations because they have the space, enough time to do so, and a set of potential clients. The exhibitor who participates in a fair benefits in that, a) he makes a large number of new professional contacts in a short space of time and without having to travel to different cities, b) he deals with his clients in a relaxed atmosphere appropriate for product promotion and public relations, c) you can find out with little effort the news presented by your competitors by also acting as a visitor and d) introduce and see the reaction of your customers to new products or services.

For his part, the visitor benefits in terms of a) visiting a good number of suppliers (real or potential) in a short time and without having to travel, and b) being able to appreciate the state of the art in a sector that concerns him. professionally.

It is important to highlight, however, that fairs are not strictly intended for the sale of products although, sometimes, contracts are closed there. Its function is rather to establish relationships with clients and make new business contacts who will be visited later.

With the development of the economy and the globalization of markets, the number of fairs has increased, offering an increasingly extensive and diversified fair panorama. Thus, we find fairs for sectors as varied as: electronics, logistics, tourism, machinery, construction, etc. City councils promote the holding of these events in fairgrounds that they own (or belong to joint companies) encouraged by the income they generate both directly (stands and consumption within the fair) and indirectly, since they attract a large number of visitors who consume in hospitality, transportation, leisure, etc.

The fair period is also used to hold various activities of interest to the sector such as forums, conferences, technical days, product tastings, parades, etc. Fairs are held continuously in practically all markets and normally attract the presence of companies from all over the planet. For example: in the United States, at the end of the 20th century, more than 10,000 trade fairs were held per year, and have created several websites to help organizers, participants and marketers identify the most appropriate events for each type of product or service.

Features

Trade fairs play an important role in marketing and establishing business contacts in market sectors that use the products or services promoted at the fair. People seek to meet other people and companies in the same segment of the supply chain, observe the news of their competitors, and establish contacts with potential suppliers or buyers.

There will generally be a main exhibition hall with stands where people and companies display their products or services, and throughout the days it is open, continuing education seminars will be offered on relevant industry topics, such as best practices., trends, and regulations. There will also be some dinners featuring featured speakers, and social events throughout the evening. Booths range from simple tables to elaborate constructions.

Trade fairs often involve a considerable investment in time and cost by participating companies. Planning involves scheduling meetings in advance with other people attending the fair to discuss business opportunities of mutual interest. The costs include the rental of the space, the design and construction of the stand, telecommunications, travel, hotels, and printing of brochures and promotional elements to give to people who visit the fair.

In addition, there are costs associated with the services contracted at the stand, such as electricity, stand cleaning, internet services and equipment movements. These local expenses on logistics issues, by exhibiting companies and visitors, make cities promote their exhibitions to organize fairs as a way to promote local economic development.

Featured fairgrounds

Participation in a fair

In the year 2000, some 400 fairs and exhibitions were held in Spain, covering practically all sectors and subsectors of activity. By 2018, it is estimated that a total of 85 international trade fairs will be held in Spain, the which will include a wide range of products and services.

Due to the large number of existing fairs, it is essential to select attendance at one or the other using objective criteria. Issues to take into account are the prestige of the fair and the number of visitors in past editions, the sector of activity, and the geographical area it covers (is it a regional, national or international fair).

Information to select one or another fair can be obtained from the chamber of commerce of the organizing city, specialized magazines, the fairs themselves through their web portals and advertising, and the associations of fairgrounds.

To participate in a fair you must register in advance, according to the organization's rules, a period that can last up to one year. Once the applications are received, the organizing company allocates the spaces for the stands. In this sense, it is common to give preferential treatment to regular participants by allowing them to choose space or assigning them the first positions.

The price of a stand at a fair depends on its location and surface area. The organization establishes a minimum rental area by setting a scale of rates based on the rented area. Participants must also pay a registration fee, civil liability insurance, and the costs of the services they use such as electricity, water, internet. In addition, the fair organization itself offers optional services, such as the assembly of carpet or flooring, setting up the stand, hostess or waiter service, furniture or plant rental, tableware rental, catering service.

The staff

The staff manning the stand must show professionalism and knowledge of the product on display. Therefore, it is essential that they be members of the participating company, with its commercial staff being more suitable. It is of great importance that before the event they are informed of the strategic and operational objectives that lead the company to exhibit at said fair and that they have precise knowledge of the product exhibited there.

The staff present at the fair must take note of all the contacts made to carry out the corresponding commercial actions after the fair is over.

Documentation

It is important for the development of the fair to be equipped with a good amount of commercial documentation to distribute to visitors to the stand: commercial magazines, company catalogues, product brochures, etc. If the stand is corporate and includes companies from the same holding company, it is important to have catalogs of all of them, delivering them to customers based on their interests. The same happens if they are divisions or commercial delegations that distribute different product ranges.

The staff manning the stand must have business cards from all the companies and delegations represented to refer the customer to the center that can serve them with greater guarantee.

Communication

Participation in a fair should be taken as a commercial party in which customers should be involved. For this reason, it is common at fairs to give visitors a small gift of 'merchandising, as well as an informal aperitif.

Mailing is a classic communication instrument and in this case, it is recommended to make it especially attractive and attractive to attract the visitor's attention. Publishing press releases and hiring advertising in the specialized press are also quick ways to contact customers. Finally, the organization of the fair gives a certain number of invitations to each exhibitor, which are normally intended for their most notable clients. Clients receive the invitation with a personalized letter from the company and, sometimes, an appointment is set with them at the fair itself to give them individualized treatment.

Subsequent follow-up

In order to transform the contacts made at the fair into real business, it is necessary to carry out a series of activities after participating in a fair that include:

• Follow-up of contacts with potential suppliers or clients.
• General report. In the same, the degree of achievement of the marked objectives should be collected, as well as the analysis of topics to be improved in upcoming fair shares, and the overall balance of participation in the contest in which the investment made, the number of contacts established, and the volume of potential business that could be concluded.
• Economic balance. Budget compliance.
• Press lock.