Trade Shows Will Regain Importance After The Covid-19 Pandemic

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, many companies have stopped attending trade shows and conventions. This is because many people are now afraid of getting sick. However, some companies have found that their sales were not affected by not attending these events. This is because they saved the money that they would have spent on things like sponsorships, booths, and collateral material. Does this mean that trade shows will die off once the pandemic is over?

Sometimes companies can coast, especially if they have good momentum and their competition is doing the same. However, when their competitors start working harder (or working differently), companies that ignore trade shows will fall behind. The benefits of exhibiting at trade shows and conventions will help these events resume, but there will be some changes.

Participating in trade shows can result in sales from three different groups of people: customers who continue to buy from you, buyers who are unhappy with their current providers, and buyers who are attracted to your new offering. (Please note that this does not apply to consumer-focused trade shows.)

Sales programs that are successful often involve less time spent at the trade show booth and more time meeting with customers who are already attending the show. Zoom calls (phone conversations that are projected on a large screen so everyone can see) work best when they are used in conjunction with periodic face-to-face meetings. Industry conventions are a great place to set up multiple client meetings, as the cost of travel, hotels, and entertainment is relatively low when a large number of meetings are held within a short period of time. Companies may choose to reduce their attendance and sponsorship at conventions that are less important to them, but trade shows that have significant numbers of clients will still be valuable.

Some of the people who come to trade shows are not happy with their current suppliers. In fact, some people come to trade shows to find a new supplier. If you don't show up at the trade show, you won't get the business. But it's important to get new business over time because you will lose some customers eventually.

Finally, trade shows are a great way to show off new products. This is a great opportunity to show people how the new products work and how they can benefit from them. Sometimes people may not be aware of the new products, or they may not understand how they work. This is especially true for companies that sell their products through intermediaries (such as wholesalers or manufacturers’ representatives) and seldom get to meet their end users.

Business-to-business sales can last a year or two without trade show exposure, but the value of increased sales will eventually be greater than the costs savings. It sounds reasonable to wait until travel fully returns to normal, but marketers should weigh the cost savings against the benefit from being one of few businesses selling your particular products at a show.

Exhibitors will want to return because they will get to know new people and learn about new products. People who are spending a lot of money will want to attend so they can make sure they are getting the best deals for their companies. Educational sessions may not be as important now that people are used to watching them online. However, in-person meetings still have networking advantages.

Many associations have one or two large meetings a year where people can learn new things. Between these large meetings, people can learn new things through virtual education. Trade show producers should remember that people who come to learn, and not just to buy things, don't add much value to the exhibitors. However, their registration fees help pay for the overall cost of putting on the show.

Giving away things like goldfish or other prizes in order to get people to come to your booth is no longer a effective way to get potential customers. This is because many people who enter these contests are not actually interested in buying anything from you. So it's not worth following up with them.

The changes in trade show environments make this an ideal time for exhibitors to step up their game. Many companies set up booths but don’t show themselves very well, with salespeople sitting down while staring at their phones instead of greeting passers-by. Some of the sales people who do speak to people haven’t given much thought to what they want to pitch. And many companies miss the opportunity to set up one-on-one meetings with their clients who will be present.

People want to buy things again. They will go to shows to look at products. The products people want to buy the most are not things they buy very often. People who go to these shows want to see a lot of different types of products. If your business is not at the show, people will not bother with you.

Even though we may feel pessimistic about the future during a downturn, businesses still need trade shows to function. The rebound in trade shows will happen once social distancing can be less severe.

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