So, what do all these trade shows look like? You can typically classify them into three main categories: industry-specific trade shows, consumer trade shows and trade shows that target both industries and end users. Exhibiting at these trade shows means brands can connect with prospective buyers, and often it’s quite cost-effective. Spingo research shows it costs $142 to meet a trade-show prospect at an event, while it costs $259 to meet prospects at their office. If your clients are dipping their toes back into the trade-show pool, read on. In the next few pages, we’re sharing ideas on how to use promotional products to reconnect with and influence trade-show attendees. Market Snapshot There’s no substitution for the face-to-face conversations, cocktails and connections at trade shows, but that doesn’t mean digital offerings are going away. About a third of marketers plan to take a hybrid approach with their trade shows this year, according to Statista, offering both in-person and virtual events. Thirty percent plan to hold their events exclusively in person while 40% project their events will be all virtual in 2022. Whether attendees plan to explore a trade show in person or online, marketers can connect with them in personalized, tangible ways through logoed products. From branded lanyards upon arrival to customized gifts mailed to attendees, promotional products can welcome attendees, capture their attention and help brands stand out on the virtual or in-person trade-show floor. Meaningful Meetings Businesses are eager to host meetings at trade shows for good reason: • 81% of trade-show attendees have purchasing authority. • 67% of all attendees represent new prospects. • In the 12 months prior to the event, 90% of trade-show attendees have not met face-to-face with exhibiting companies. Source: Trade Show Network Marketing Group A Timeline Of Trade Shows When did people start going to trade shows? Let’s look back on the history and evolution of major commercial events. 3000 B.C.: Vendors in the Middle East sold goods at bazaars. These early “trade shows” attracted locals and traveling merchants. 1851: The Great Exhibition was one of the biggest events bringing people together in the 19th century, attracting a third of Great Britain’s population to see various products from around the world. 1876: The first World’s Fair was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Here, Alexander Graham Bell introduced his brand-new invention, the telephone. 1904: The PPAI Expo opened for the first time with 32 exhibitors. In 2022, more than 700 companies exhibited, showing tens of thousands of promotional products in nearly a million square feet of space. 1967: The Consumer Electronics Show debuted in Las Vegas with 14 exhibitors. In 2022, CES featured more than 2,200 exhibitors. 2020: Virtual trade shows debuted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Source: Trade Show News Network Nizwa Design / Andrii Zastrozhnov / Macrovector / Shutterstock.com | MARCH 2022 | 57 GROW
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