Are Trade Shows Worth It?

Is exhibiting at trade shows worth the time, effort, and financial cost? After taking a break from trade shows in 2020 and 2021, you maybe wondering whether it makes sense to attend live events again. The simple answer is: If it was worth it before, then it is still worth it now to exhibit in person. The same benefits still apply, and live events have some advantages over virtual events that cannot be ignored.

What Do You Get Out of Exhibiting at a Trade Show?

Trade shows are worth attending, thanks to the wide range of potential advantages. But it is important to attend the right shows because your choice of event determines the audience you get. Making the wrong choice means exhibiting to an audience who may be working in your industry but is not interested in doing business with you. Choose the right shows, and you get access to a niche audience full of potential clients and customers, and plenty of other benefits.

Introduce Your Product or Business in a Show-Stopping Way

Whether you are a startup with a unique idea or an existing business with a new product line, trade shows offer the ideal environment for a launch. With an innovative idea and an engaging demo, even small companies can attract plenty of interest. In addition, many shows have special awards for new products, or perks for startups, such as reduced floor fees. These offer further opportunities for attracting attention and sales.

Interact Directly with Your Audience

Having a good understanding of your audience is very important to the success of your business. At trade shows, you have what is often a unique and rare opportunity: Meeting and talking with a lot of people from your target audience. You get:

·        Highly valuable feedback about your booth, product offerings and your overall business

·        The chance to generate new leads and new sales

·        The chance to make new industry contacts

·        Create strong, beneficial relationships based on shared interests

Find Invaluable Networking Opportunities

One of the main reasons that many companies attend tradeshows is for networking. Whether it is to generate leads or sales, meet new people in the industry, or improve existing business relationships, trade shows are popular and effective networking locations. Large, well-attended shows might have more opportunities in number, but a highly curated smaller trade show can provide lots of valuable opportunities with a close-knit group.

See What Your Competitors Are Doing

When you exhibit at a trade show, most of your focus is naturally on your own booth and your target audience. Still, most people have some time in their schedule to scope out the competition. Trade shows provide a great opportunity to do just that. Many companies use shows as a place to launch new product lines or reveal exciting news, giving you the perfect opportunity to see just how they do it.

Similarly, attending trade shows gives you the chance to see what is happening in the wider industry. Are the big names pivoting to new target markets or launching product lines that are new to the industry? Learning about new trends early on gives you the best chance of benefiting from them, and there is no better way to find out than being there first-hand.

Get Exposure and Publicity

Most trade shows, even smaller niche events, get written up in industry-specific publications. And the bigger shows, especially tech and consumer-focused shows, tend to get lots of press in general as well as special-interest websites and print magazines. If you can get a mention in a story, or even an interview with a journalist, the free publicity can pay off big time.

Sending out a press release can help increase your chances of getting event-related coverage. Press releases stick to a formula, making them relatively simple to write, so it is an easy way to improve your chances of getting some media coverage.

Social media provides even more opportunities to maximize your exposure. Attendees and other exhibitors are tweeting and sharing pictures of booths on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, and people are searching for event-related news. You should absolutely add your voice in the mix! Even if your company is a small one, there is no reason you cannot be part of the larger event story, get your name heard and build brand awareness!

Our team of signage experts will work collaboratively with you to create strong branded experience for your future tradeshows. Connect with us today!

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