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Thursday, March 31, 2011

The Charm of Tradeshows


On the surface a trade fair comes across as an official engagement with strict focus on trade related issues. But some B2C trade fairs have certain appeal amongst the masses because of the freebies and fun that they offer. A B2C trade show is intended at wooing the end users with the sole purpose of bringing them closer to the supply chain. At these fairs, the organizers and exhibitors have focus on creating an environment that allures the general public towards the various brands on offer.

Creating a charming atmosphere that instills the spirit of buying a product is extremely hard. Nowadays, the general public easily recognizes cheap tactics and hence, modern day trade shows have been organized after careful planning and observation. The traders understand that they need to make an investment to build a future consumer base. Therefore, the charm of tradeshows is increasing with each passing day and people are coming in large numbers to attend these events.
Some of the features of present day trade shows that visitors find enchanting are listed below-

A freebie on Offer - There is nothing more alluring than a free gift. Hence, distribution of freebies has become a regular feature at the trade shows. These free goodies not only help in the immediate recognition of the product but they also help in the exposure of the brand in the future. Each individual receiving a free gift is more likely to talk about the brand and the fair with his mate than the one who returns empty handed. This gift distribution tactic presents a win-win situation for the exhibitors, visitors and organizers while at the same time it adds to the charm of the event.

Carnival like atmosphere
-The modern day trade fairs are gala events filled with all the festivities. The lights, decoration and the ambience add to the general appeal of the trade fairs.

Live performances - There has been a recent rise in the number of famous singers and celebrities performing at the trade fairs. Due to these live performances, a large number of visitors who are fans of these celebrities visit the trade event. This opens up doors for the entry of a new untouched consumer base that would not have seen the exhibition.
All the pomp, free gifts and live celebrity performances that are taking place at the tradeshows have taken the popularity of these events to a new level. The future holds new surprises that will add to the charm of these trade events. What these new surprise will be is a mystery that can only be unraveled with your visit to the next trade show in your city.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

A Guide To Visitors At Trade Fairs


Trade fair acts as a common ground for exhibitors and visitors and serves them equally under one single roof. It is a wonderful platform that gives immense freedom of choice to the buyers as they get to choose the products from a long list of companies. Sometimes this freedom of choice could act as a burden and make it extremely hard for the new visitors to determine which brand to trust and which brand to stay away from.

The way the companies present themselves at their well-designed stalls, it becomes very hard to distinguish between a good and an average product. Therefore, it is vital that a visitor pays attention to some finer points of details before investing his finances in a particular company. Some of the important aspects which should be identified and pondered upon are -

Reputation of a company - A visitor who is looking to make a major investment at a trade fair should study the list of exhibitors presenting at a fair. This list can be easily found at the websites dedicated to the trade fairs. After finding the exhibitor you are willing to put your money on, the past performance of the company should be thoroughly checked. Only after a complete study, investments should be made at trade fairs. In case of doing trade with a new exhibitor presenting at a fair, there is a small risk factor involved in the deal. Putting trust in such new players in the market can be a bit tricky and should be taken with the possible consequences in mind.

Live Demonstrations - Sometimes it becomes very difficult to judge a product based on new technology as there is no other product to compare it with. In such cases, a live demonstration comes in very handy. When everything is in front of you, there is a lower risk of deception. Even though the risk is low yet a novice in technical field should keep someone technically sound along his side. This is because, sometimes it is very difficult to identify the finer details if one is not familiar with the field. In such cases, a specialist can be really useful in evaluating the product.

Unbelievable offers - Competition is increasing day by day and companies are using every way possible to attract visitors to their stalls. In some situations, you may come across offers which may seem too good to be true. The fact is more often than not these offers are deceptively designed to hide the actual details. Unbelievable offers should be treated with caution and wisdom.

A trade fair is meant to promote trade and bring profit to all. To achieve only profits and no losses from such fairs, these practices should be followed by all the visitors at trade fairs.

For more related articles visit http://www.biztradeshows.com/articles/

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Virtual Tradeshow


The way Internet has transformed the lives of people both personally and commercially is something that would have been difficult to imagine in the past. Almost everything in the modern world is dependent on the use of the virtual web. Even trade shows have not remained untouched from this recent phenomenon and have found a new outlet in the form of virtually organized internet based trade shows.

A virtual trade show serves the same purpose as of a normal trade show, but what makes it more likable is its lack of infrastructural cost. The organizational and infrastructural overheads are the major investments that are made in a real world trade fair. If one cuts out these costs, the investment needed is almost negligible. The virtual tradeshows are flourishing due to these factors and are very much liked within the trading circles.

A virtual trade show can be organized by simply using Internet and virtual tradeshow software to connect with the participants. A basic description and the requirements for a virtual trade show is given below -

Permission to enter a virtual trade show - It is very important to have a selected gentry interested in trading attend a virtual trade fair. Giving permission to the right people is extremely important at such fairs because there is no other way of checking the credibility of the participants. To avoid the presence of Internet trolls and mischievous people, special virtual tokens or passes are used. These tokens or passes can be distributed to trusted exhibitors and visitors or they can be sold through an online outlet.

Virtual booths - The booths are present in a virtual exhibiting hall at a virtual tradeshow and act like the interface for the exhibitors and the visitors. The exhibitors can use multimedia applications to showcase their commodities and Internet messengers can be used for direct interaction. Such facilities are normally built-in the virtual tradeshow software and are very user-friendly in nature.

Trading- A visitor is free to roam around in the virtual fair and can decide to trade with the exhibitors of his own liking. The decisions are made after going through the listed items in the virtual booth. Trading is done through digitally signed documents.

Even though a virtual trade fair is an excellent way of meeting buyers and manufacturers, it will take a long time for such fairs to replace the real world fairs. The lack of personal touch and reliability are a few factors which go against such fairs. But still, the day by day improvement in Internet technology and change in people’s perception may lead to world wide acceptance of such fairs in the future.

For more related articles visit http://www.biztradeshows.com/articles/

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Promotion of Trade Fair Through Internet


Internet is rapidly transforming the face of the industries and changing the way business is done. Nowadays, the mode of financial transactions is changing with the widespread use of online banking. Business meetings are done through video conferencing and many other important trade related jobs are heavily relying on the use of the internet. Just like the use of internet, trade fairs are also on a progressive path and are very much liked within the trading circles.

The excellent opportunities that they bring to the buyers and suppliers are the reason for their success. The effectiveness of a trade fair can be gauged from the large amount of visitors that gather at the trade venues full of anticipation. Clearly, trade fairs and internet are very important for all the industries in the world in the modern times.The success of a trade show solely depends on the exhibitors and visitors participating at the event. More the number of exhibitors there will be more will be the number of visitors who will visit the event.

To gain maximum number of participants, proper promotion of the fair is required. There are many ways to promote a trade fair but none is better than the use of internet. There are various ways of using internet for trade fair promotion. Two of the most sought after ways of promoting a trade event through internet are listed below:-

Promotion through a dedicated website-
A dedicated website can act as a worldwide representation of a trade event. It is a low cost and more effective alternative as compared to sending brochures and pamphlets to the potential participants. Besides, acting as a representation it also offers all kinds of necessary documents like registration forms, maps and hall layouts. Press releases, organizer detail and other important pieces of information could be easily found at a dedicated website. A nicely constructed website could act as a one stop solution for the prospective participants which can enhance the response of visitors to the fair.

Promotion through a social networking websites-
A person interested in a trade fair can go to a dedicated website and gain information about the event but what happens to those visitors who are on the lookout for such events but are not aware about it. This is where social networking sites come into the picture. Promotion through these websites can lead to word of mouth publicity which can reach people who are not aware of the event. A tweet or an orkut message can have the same promotional effect as of a mail delivered pamphlet. In today’s time, most of the traders are well connected and socially active, which makes the use of these networking sites extremely important to the modern trade fair organizer.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Trade Shows and Local Culture


In the present times, trade shows have become a very important part of modern day trading. These fairs are organized frequently in various regions of different countries in the world. A modern trader who visits these fairs frequently not only gets to see different types of goods and technologies, but he/she also gets a taste of the culture of the country he/she visits. Cultural impacts on a trade show are distinctly seen on the fairs. Especially when a trade show deals with apparel, food or jewellery, cultural effects can be seen on the fair much more prominently. Apparel or jewellery fairs showcase the depth of the regional culture as well as the history of the place.

Generally, a trade show is a very professional event with selected gentry visiting it for their business needs. But a simple trade show which is otherwise quite boring could be made very interesting by entwining the culture of the region along with the regular business. Some different ways of creating that ideal mix for an enjoyable trade show are listed below -

Designing stalls on cultural theme -
A stall is the face of a company at a trade fair. The exhibitors who are showcasing their products at a fair can use some elements of the local culture to design the stall. This will create an immediate impression on the local visitors and cause intrigue amongst the foreigners. A nicely designed local theme can create a good first impression on the visitor and can help in attracting the crowd towards your stall.

Using a local mascot that represents the region -
The organizers of trade fair can use a mascot which could be a local animal or a symbol representing the local masses. This can give a nice image to the fair and make it interesting for the public.

Organizing cultural festivals concurrently -
Local festivals organized alongside the exhibition can make a trade show a fun event. International visitors are likely to love such festivals and functions and the locals will come in large numbers to attend the events.

There are no immediate tangible benefits of paying attention to the local culture in a trade show, but these small cultural gestures can go a long way in creating an image for the event. These activities can make the event famous amongst the public and there is nothing like good publicity for a trade show. The organizers need to think out of the box and should employ such innovative tactics for gaining people’s attention. An innovative cultural approach could be very effective and highly profitable, if we consider its benefits on a long term basis.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Trade Fair & Fair Trade


Trade fair is a specialized event dedicated to a particular industry and acts as a platform for bringing together buyers and sellers in different regions, under one roof. The product manufacturers, dealers, resellers, importers and exporters are the main participants in a trade fair. The first consideration for organizing a trade fair is its feasibility. A market analysis needs to be done to get an idea of the response that a trade fair will get, once it starts. The interest shown by the potential visitors and exhibitors decides the success or failure of a trade fair. Just like a well-organized trade fair can benefit the entire industry, similarly fair trading can prove vital for the reputation of companies.

Fair trade is not something that can be organized but it’s a relationship between producers, sellers, and consumers based on the principle of equity within the exchange of goods. The correct treatment of all the producers through a transparent system is needed to achieve equity. The whole concept of fair trade is created to provide justice to all sections of the trading fraternity.

The words trade fair and fair trade may sound very similar to each other but there is a considerable difference in what they imply. On one hand we have trade fair, which is a visual representation of the platform intended to sell all the tangible commodities and on the other, we have fair trade which is an invisible but moral obligation. A product may gain immediate attention through a well-organized trade fair but its success over a long period of time can only be guaranteed if the creators of the goods are fair in their trade i.e. if they demand reasonable amount of money for the items sold. In the modern times, trade fairs are very important for creating a niche in the market. If a company is well represented at a global trade fair, it can open up doors for seamless overseas trading opportunities.

Launching of new products in front of potential buyers is much more convenient if it is done through a trade fair. But in search of immediate success, one must not forget the basic principles of trading. If dubious methods are used in promoting the product, it will definitely result in the depreciation of the brand value. The repercussions of such ill doings can go against the entire organization affecting the overall image of the company.

The only way a company can sustain its good image is by adopting fair trade as its motto. This will give it a large base of buyers who will have complete faith in the brand, even in the testing times. Well, through this discussion on trade fair and fair trade, we can actually devise the true definition of a successful trader.

A successful trader is the one who believes in his product and showcases it without any deception at trade fairs, trades while sticking to fair trade principle and then reaps the rewards for his endeavors by selling his product to a consumer base that has complete trust in him.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Launch of Technologies at Trade Fairs


Normally, a trade fair is considered to be a money making venture designed to fill the pockets of already established brands. Most of the technologies that are exhibited are new albeit only relatively as they most often have been launched previously at some official function covered by media. But with the growing appeal of trade fairs, the prospect of launching a completely virgin technology is brightening up off late.

The impact of a trade show is expected to raise manifold if the major players in the market start using trade fairs as a stage for the official launch of their products. Such a launch will not only benefit the company but it will also benefit the organizers. Promotional campaigns will have extra zing due to the anticipation in the trading circles. Companies will line up in large numbers for registration to gain a sneak peak at the product displayed. Such a phenomenal response could act as a catalyst in transforming the entire trade fair industry. There are various considerations which need to be paid heed to before organizing such trade shows-

Promotional campaigns - A great promotional campaign highlighting the technology to be launched is needed before such an event. If the people are aware of the fact that an absolutely untouched technology is going to be launched, it will give an extra impetus to the flow of crowd at the trade event.

Originality of the technology to be displayed - Normally a trade show lasts for around 3-4 days and the visitor response gathers momentum through word of mouth publicity. So, the technologies on the basis of which the whole show is promoted should be authentic. A false advertisement and promotional campaign can tarnish the image of exhibitors and organizers, affecting the future trade shows.

Infrastructure - The infrastructure at the trade venue should be good enough to showcase the new technology demonstrations in all its glory. No compromises should be made by cutting cost. A new technology or a product needs to be given maximum exposure and importance.

Invitations to audience - Right audience are vital for such trade shows which are showcasing new technologies. The invitations should be given to prospective trade buyers who have the wherewithal to actually buy the goods and technologies. Non business visitors could be a hindrance in such trade shows.

A trade fair showcasing genuinely fresh technologies is an excellent idea which can be used for the betterment of the entire trade fair industry. The whole landscape of technological innovation could be changed if this practice is followed in the future trade fairs.

Canton Fair (China Import & Export Fair)

CONEXPO 2011, Las Vegas