Ingredients |
Processing |
Packaging |
Market Trends |
Regulatory |
Interview |
Food Safety |
Instrumentation |
Making A Good Show Of Yourself
BY ANDREW ADAM
The 2005 exhibition season starts soon. But are international trade fairs still relevant in the age of the Internet, and how can you get the best results from them?
1 November 2004
Email This | 
Printer Friendly
| Where else can suppliers meet hundreds of buyers in a short time? International food exhibitions give countless opportunities to research the market, check out the competition and see the latest worldwide industry trends. The biggest food exhibition in the world, Anuga in Germany, is a six-day festival of food and beverage. It attracts more than 200,000 visitors from the across the globe. That’s more than 30,000 people each day. Buyers come to shows looking for particular products. They hunt new suppliers. The environment is focussed and professional. Shows will generate business for most companies that are properly prepared. With food especially, exhibitions are a buyer’s chance to feel, see and taste the product – something the phone or Internet can never replace. Most importantly, shows are where business is done. Food exhibitions attract senior managers from all levels of the food industry – retail, food service and processing, importers and traders, food and beverage managers of hotels and restaurants. By the fact that they’re there, visitors are likely to be receptive to your sales message. |  BE PREPARED: A big show like Anuga in Germany may get tens of thousands of visitors a day. But not all of them will be relevant to you. Ask the organisers for a breakdown of attendance before you book a stand. |
They’re looking for new products to buy.
There are hundreds of trade fairs and shows to choose from. Some, like Foodex in Tokyo, are big and broad. Others, like ISM’s Sweets China in Shanghai, are much more specific, concentrating on confectionery, ice cream and snacks. Recently, there’s been an increase too in smaller shows that may focus on just one region of a country.
So how do you select which one to visit or exhibit at?
Look at your company’s goals, says Tony Valls, the director-general of the Alimentaria food show in Spain. Then look at the exhibition’s positioning in the market, he says. If they match, then the show is worth considering.
GLOBAL BUT LOCAL: You might travel across the world to a trade show and find good sales leads from close to home. That’s the beauty of exhibitions.
‘The impact and the international projection of the show will always count with the local, regional and national environment,’ Mr Valls says.
‘For a local processor, attending an overseas event makes sense as long a niche market is detected.’
Even international trade fairs abroad may attract a large number of visitors from your own country, says Reed Exhibitions industry vice-president Steven Kalman: ‘That can be extremely beneficial to one’s business depending on objectives.’ (Reed Exhibitions is a sister company of the publisher of this magazine.)Prepare well for an overseas exhibition. Focus. Research the market. Understand tariff and import procedures. You don’t want your samples to be held up at customs. Learn about packaging and health regulations. Familiarise yourself with language and business customs. In addition, identify people you would like to meet at the show; for example, trade magazines and journalists will be at the better shows.
If you’ve never been to a show before as an exhibitor, then make sure you attend one as a visitor. Ask yourself, what exhibitors get your attention? Why? Is it the design of the stand? The friendliness of the staff? The range of languages they speak? Perhaps you could help out on a sister company’s stand first to get some ideas.
Perhaps your country’s export-promotion board might be creating a national pavilion. That’s a great place for first-time exhibitors to build confidence — you might get some value-for-money for all those dollars you’ve paid in tax.
Trade shows are valuable. But they’re just the beginning. A show will make introductions. It will shorten the sales cycle. But it’s rare you will get an order on the day.
Nevertheless be ready to export your products quickly if any of the leads you follow up turn into sales.
But, remember, it’s all about preparation before you even buy the air ticket. Map out your objectives, says Reed’s Kalman, and match the appropriate trade fair with them.
‘Regardless of how international the event is, if the visitor is right for your business then you are on the right track,’ Mr Kalman says.
A shorter version of this article originally appeared in our sister title in Australia, Food Magazine, which is also published by Reed Business Information. www.ferret.com.au
Del.icio.us | 
Facebook |
