With the popularity of trading over the internet unlikely to cease anytime soon, you may wonder why trade shows are still in existence. You can display all your products online with their full specifications, accompanied by 360-degree videos to show them off in their full glory. More so, it couldn’t be easier to communicate with people in this day-and-age, through a phone call, email or chat service. So, what can a trade show do for you that the internet can’t? We take a look below.
Boost your profile
Attending trade shows is a great way to establish a solid presence, better position yourself within your industry and gain recognisability. There are usually plenty of advertising and sponsorship opportunities which can help to further establish your presence and seek partnerships with other companies.
Face-to-face connections
In a study conducted by Oxford Economics, it was concluded that face-to-face contact is the most effective way to strengthen relationships with both prospective and current customers. While digital communication has its place, it cannot compete with real, human face-to-face interactions. Trade shows enable you to meet other businesses in person, establish deeper trust, build on relationships and give you a much wider influence.
Networking
Trade shows give you the perfect opportunity to assess what others are doing in the industry and meet new businesses who can help your own. You will also be able to build up a network of potential customers who you can then follow-up with after the show. As businesses owners, you can also keep your eye on the competition and learn what they’re doing differently from you. This allows you to determine if there’s anything you need to do to change or update yourself; or to establish what you have that they don’t.
Collect data
Running a competition at a trade show can help you quickly gain a wider database of email contacts to add to your mailing lists – just make sure to ask their permission first.
Working display of products
Even though you can present something online, prospective customers cannot interact with it and see it in person and there’s only so much you can tell from a picture or video. Trade shows present you with the perfect chance to demonstrate your new or featured products. Seeing the product or service for themselves will certainly aid your sale and may even encourage customers to close a deal with you there and then.
Present to your target market
Vertical trade shows are trade-specific events which means that most of the people attending will fit within your target demographic. This means that you will be interacting with people within your industry, allowing you to learn more about it. Here you can find out what people want, learn their grievances and get feedback about the service you offer.
If trade shows are a big part of your business, is your insurance flexible enough to accommodate for these? The Chartered brokers at Hine can arrange annual cover, so you don’t have to worry about covering each show individually. Your policy will cover you against unexpected cancellations, liability issues, property damage and money. We can also advise you on additional covers available to you, from terrorism insurance to goods in transit. If you want to insure a sole exhibition, we can help you with this too. Get in touch on 0161 438 0000 to find out more.
