SHOULD YOU PARTICIPATE IN LABEL INDUSTRY EVENTS?
BY REBECCA OSTERMAN
After a couple years of major disruptions and cancellations, trade shows and conferences are back! And our team is busy taking advantage of these valuable industry events – both as exhibitors and attendees. So why do we take part in these events?
Read on to learn how trade shows and conferences are valuable for our team, as well as why you should consider adding them to your marketing plan.
Trade show and industry events bring together a concentrated group of related businesses and potential customers in markets you want to target. Some of the benefits of exhibiting at these events include:
One of the most significant benefits of attending trade shows is increasing awareness of your brand. Make good use of exhibit space, marketing materials and promotional giveaways to get your name out there.
Sponsorships and event advertising can provide additional opportunities to make sure that potential customers remember who you are. Additionally, consider presenting educational sessions or taking part in round table discussions to showcase your brand and expertise.
We’ve come a long way with the ability to interact with customers and partners electronically. But you can’t replace the value of face-to-face interaction. In addition to sessions and expositions, industry events often also provide social events and other peripheral get togethers.
These can offer the opportunity to interact for extended periods of time, in a more casual environment. This provides an opportunity to get to know business contacts on a more personal level and create lasting relationships.
In addition to interacting with new and existing customers and partners, trade shows and conferences provide opportunity to network with other professionals in your industry. Take the time to meet other exhibitors. Even if they aren’t potential customers, you might discover potential for a valuable joint venture or mutually beneficial cross-promotion.
You may also find that networking provides you with opportunities to break into verticals that you may not have otherwise had access to.
Trade shows will often place many of your competitors under one roof. Take advantage of this to gain invaluable insights into what your competitors are doing. Walk the trade show floor to observe tactics, product displays, marketing materials and sales pitches to see how you stack up to the competition.
Take note of what you’re doing well and how you can improve at the next event. Be on the lookout for new products that you may want to offer.
Speakers, panel discussions and breakout sessions provide unique educational and motivational opportunities. Take advantage of these presentations to find motivation, increase your industry knowledge, stay on top of the latest trends and products, gain valuable skills and gather insight into how other companies handle various challenges.
Also consider signing up to take part as a presenter or instructor. This can provide a valuable opportunity to showcase your expertise and position yourself as an industry leader.
Exhibiting at trade shows can be expensive, and may not be in every business’ budget. Additionally, there are many trade shows where it might not make strategic sense to exhibit (such as where you are actually the target customer). You can still realize many benefits simply by attending. Depending on the event and type of ticket you purchase, event attendees can often:
At DLS, we regularly attend and exhibit at a wide range of trade shows, conferences, vendor showcases and networking events. We also take part in and present in online educational seminars and webinars. We hope to connect with you at one of these industry events.
Want to know more about which events you might want to take part in? Contact us and we can help with ideas. Already planning to attend or exhibit at an event and need marketing materials? Don’t forget to take advantage of our free custom marketing tools.