How to Prepare for a Trade Fair

An international fair is a great opportunity for businesses to showcase products and services, corporate image, and also, without any doubt, to establish and maintain business relations with clients or partners. These kinds of international exhibitions may cover different specialized fields, such as military technology, agriculture, industry, video games and climate world.

There are two ways to be part of these fairs:

1) As a visitor:

Visiting a fair will allow you to identify your current potential competitors, the products offered, innovative proposals you can offer or get, and study current prices and tendencies on the market.

2) As a participant or exhibitor:

It’s important to carry out a market research before participating in a fair, as it will imply investing a considerable amount of time and money. Participating is more expensive and demanding than just visiting because you need to pay a fee, book your stand, prepare marketing materials, etc. For this reason, it is necessary to define your goals clearly and calculate return on investment. Some of your goals may include establishing contact with potential clients, improving relations with partners, and finding new suppliers.

It is better not to set expectations too high regarding the possibility of making immediate sales because that might not occur.

The Way to Success: Steps to Prepare for International Fairs

If you are planning to exhibit at a trade fair, it is important to be well-prepared.

Here you can find some steps you may follow:

• Identify the type of international fair and its aim. You can consider the following questions: does it match your goals? Will it help you achieve them?
• Identify the dates, venue, agenda, rules, and price. Once you have this information, it is possible to make a plan and calculate the budget.
• Identify the best location for you. In order to do so, you first need to calculate your total budget to participate in an international fair. The size of your stand will depend on your budget and needs. You can take a map of the exhibition place, and decide, considering both functionality and budget. Will you need a place next to the café, close to an entrance or more to the exit? Or would you rather have your booth more to the middle of the exhibition?
• Identify your goals. Bear in mind that the results you get might be immediate and/or long-term.
• Inform and invite your partners about the international fair at least a month before the date. You can send them invitation tickets, e-mails, and make telephone calls. Don’t forget to write information about it on your website and social media.
• Determine the corporate image you want to exhibit. Investing in image design is an essential step to impress your clients or partners. This aspect should be handled very carefully. Spend some budget on print production, such as brochures, flyers, visiting cards, even introduction videos about your products or services. Don’t forget to translate marketing materials.
• Define the concept of your stand. How will your exhibition stand be laid out? How will you design it? Will you use a banner?
• Define who will be in charge of establishing important contacts. This person should be friendly, communicative, and result-oriented. Moreover, if they know well about your business, products, and services, and they are familiar with business psychology, that’ll definitely be a plus.
• Consider which language will be spoken in the exhibition. If it is an international fair, get familiar with participants’ countries and companies. What language will you use to talk to them? It’s recommended that you hire an interpreter to respond to answers. The interpreter might be a professional freelancer or you may also hire one in a trustworthy translation company.

If you want to improve your public’s recognition of your products, an international fair may be a great way to do so. But remember: research, planning, and good advice are essential aspects that will contribute to a successful exhibition.

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