Trade shows. You’ve seen them. Maybe not in person, but you’ve seen them in the movies and television shows set in the 50s and 60s. When the Second World War ended, the American dreamers woke up to the realization that they were in the mood to buy things. Companies took notice and the trade show soared into the outer stratosphere.
Trade shows are where companies roll out their latest products to the general public or to vendors who will buy and then sell on their own retail sales floors. A trade show display that done properly propelled the products being sold off the sales floor and into the hands of those who wanted to buy. Trade show both items became the stuff of legend and made companies rich. This is still going on today, but how many companies actually understand the power of a truly great trade show booth design?
The numbers surrounding conference displays and convention exhibits is remarkable, yet few companies fully understand the potential impact on their business. On average, companies set aside 31.6% of their total marketing budget to be used for events and exhibiting, but 70% of these companies don’t have specific goals or clear objectives set for trade show exhibits. At the end of the year, these companies will have spent $24 million dollars on trade shows, but don’t completely know why. They see an uptick in sales, but they don’t put all the pieces together.
Trade shows work for a number of different reasons but the main one is time. People who visit trade shows are there because they are already interested in what is being sold. They will spend an average of 9.5 hours looking at exhibits, and that time turns into money for a company that puts up a trade show display.
Not only do visitors to trade shows want to be looking at what a company has to offer, they are often authorized to buy. In fact, 81% of all trade show attendees have the authorization to make an on the spot purchase if they so choose. This means that a trade show display is not simply a tool to advertise products to be bought elsewhere, they are often money makers on the spot.
Does your company participate in trade shows? Does it have a product or a series of products that trade show attendees might be interested in? Trade shows are absolutely not a thing of the past. They are a thriving way to not only reach hungry customers but make deals on the sales floor itself.
If you are in a major city such as New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles, you will be able to find a trade show very easily. If you are in any other city, you are also going to find that if you are searching for trade shows, you are in luck. Virtually every good size city in the United States that has a convention center will have a trade show or two during the course of the year. Search it out, jump on in, and watch your company grow.
