Exhibitions provide the most effective face-to-face communication tool of the marketing mix. Exhibitions bring together suppliers, buyers, purchase influencers, consultants and the media and provide the platform to launch new products, generate media coverage, build brand awareness, generate leads and retain existing customers.
And remember, visitors have taken the time and effort to attend the exhibition and therefore they are all serious prospects!
Before making that commitment to exhibit, you need to have set specific objectives to achieve by exhibiting.
Powerful reasons for exhibiting:
Sales
• Generate sales leads
• Achieve direct sales
• Build a contact database
Customer Relationships
• Build relationships with current customers
• Educate customers
• Up sell and cross sell customers
• Collect customer testimonials
• Re-sell lapsed customers
Market Research
• Market test a new product
• Research your marketing campaign
• Test market awareness and perceptions
Media Relations/PR
• Generate media coverage
• Build relationships with key editors and journalists
Brand Building
• Create or raise market awareness
• Position or re-position your brand
• Educate be demonstrating benefits
• Boost financial analyst/investor perceptions
• Develop new markets
Channel Building & Support
• Identify and recruit new distributors or partners
• Support your current sales channels
• Build your reputation as a partnerosition.