Many manufacturers hold the opinion that trade shows are not as valuable as they once were. Increased exhibitor costs, travel expenses, and employee time before, during, and after the show are all cost prohibitive elements of trade shows. Even with all of these expenses, trade shows are not guaranteed to create a tangible ROI for your business.
Just as important as cost considerations, selecting a show that aligns with your business plan and consists of your target audience can be tricky. Some companies can afford to attend only a small number of shows per year, making this decision even more critical.
Manufacturers have to be willing to invest time and effort into preshow marketing, as well as social media and attendee tracking during the show. Follow up emails, calls, and database entries are also a necessary part of any trade show protocol.
With all of these requirements for trade show success, it may be hard to believe that there are benefits of participating in trade shows anymore. But, with the proper investment of the resources mentioned above, companies can still expect to reap several valuable benefits for their trade show efforts.
Some of these trade show benefits include:
Creating new and highly qualified sales leads. In a world where businesses receive huge amounts of online traffic, getting leads that will actually lead to sales are hard to come by. People at trade shows are target audiences who are often in a position to make purchasing decisions.- Learning marketing and branding techniques. Seeing what successful marketing experts are doing to expand their brand presence and attract consumers can be invaluable. Just as importantly, learning what not to do by observing others can save your marketing team from making similar mistakes in the future.
- Networking with others in the industry. Often times, partnership opportunities may exist in areas that were not considered before. Vendors, distributors, and consumer relationships can be discussed in person with other interested parties. Relationship building is the key to all business partnerships and there is no better way to develop those relationships than in a face-to-face social setting.
- Have a presence. Putting your company’s brand in front of customers and alongside competitors is always a positive thing. Absence from professional gatherings can be negatively conspicuous.
Harmony Enterprises recently participated in the 2017 ISSA INTERCLEAN Trade Show in Las Vegas from September 12-14th. Tailoring to the janitorial services industry, Harmony continued to expand its presence as the innovative global solutions provider for waste handling and recycling.
Professional cleaning services, airport authorities, schools and universities, and recycling municipalities are just a few of the market groups Harmony engaged with during the show.
With a complete line of over 40 balers, compactors, beverage extraction, and full product destruction machines, 24-hour customer service, Insite Wireless Monitoring, and Advantage! customer service software, Harmony differentiates itself from the competition.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by to visit our booth at the show! We look forward to growing together in our True Partnership Approach long into the future. If you were unable to attend the show, or would like to learn more about what Harmony can do for your business, contact us today or call (507) 886-6666.
