Trade shows have traditionally been a very popular way to market products, service and business. With advances in social media marketing and Internet technology, the value and benefits of marketing via trade shows comes up. Though technology is changing marketing at a rapid pace, there are several benefits from having an exhibit presence at a trade show. Below are features that make the Uganda International Trade Fair (UGITF) a worthwhile experience as the 25th edition opens on October 3, 2017 in Kampala.
Face-to-face interaction
The first step is to get consumers to your exhibition stall and then connect with them through your products and services, which ensures effective communication. This makes it necessary to have a compelling exhibition as this attracts maximum visitors to your stall. Ultimately, these visitors encourage the face-to-face interaction and utmost consumer engagements. The UGITF gives a platform for your brand and your target audience to interact.
Lead Generation Potential
The UGITF has massive followings and attendance. For example, the previous Trade Fair in 2016 had over 200,000 attendees from more than 30 countries. Each attendee of the trade show is a potential lead waiting to be captured. Asking for contact information during a presentation and getting their business cards are all great ways to get fresh leads in your sales pipeline. Following up with the candidates most likely to buy while the event is still fresh in their mind makes it more impactful.
Build brand proximity
One of the most important features of participating in Uganda International Trade Fair is that it helps in creating brand proximity. With the help of engaging and appealing exhibition stands, you can make your target audience come to your stand and engage in a better way. Once they develop a sense of brand closeness, they automatically connect with your brand. This also helps you in understanding your target audience and their needs better.
Keep an eye in competition and learn anything new
Taking part in a trade fair will make you more experienced. There are many things to learn about your business’s field, other products, new ideas and trends. Take this opportunity to improve your knowledge. You can as well have one of your partners take a look at your competitors’ booths and collect evidence to evaluate your competitiveness.
Introduce a new product
Do you have a new product? Do you want to promote it? Have you already introduced your product on your website? Now the UGITF is an ultimate opportunity to showcase or introduce your product to a bigger audience. With the face to face interaction made possible, the potential customers can be given samples or shown how the product works and you not only get to introduce your product but get instant feedback as well. This helps you to either make adjustments or not basing on the kind of feedback.
Make new connections
The UGITF has for over 24 years been the best chance to meet your connections and also to meet new potential partners or buyers! A number of companies testify to this benefit as these connections build lasting partnerships and boost your clientele thereafter.
Leveled Marketing Field
From locally owned small businesses to multinational corporations, everyone has access to the same attendees at UGITF. It’s almost as simple as paying for your exhibit location space, designing your trade show display booth, promoting your business leading up to the tradeshow and interacting with the audience during the show. Even a relatively unknown business can generate large numbers of sales and leads through trade shows. Certainly this is possible via other marketing channels, but few are as easy to execute as trade shows can be a reason to exhibit.
Use media for your promotion
Trade shows and exhibitions get media coverage so you should be prepared to promote your business through media, either radio or television stations. You can create a video or take photographs and then share them through social media to make a positive feedback for your profile. You should also use any references from media to share to your profile.
Increase in sales
By promoting your products through the media, you have created a positive impression for your company. Therefore exhibiting in the UGITF leads to larger brand awareness, bigger interest for your business and of course it will increase your sales. Remember to use everything in combination with your social network to inform your connections at the same time for your progress.
Always have something to sell at the trade show. It doesn’t matter if you only bring your latest products or have a wide variety of products to choose, the opportunity to generate sales shouldn’t be lost because you didn’t have something for them to buy. Don’t miss out on that sale!
Cost-Effective Networking and Advertising
If you’ve done the pre-show marketing work leading up to the show, the potential that a trade show offers your business can far exceed the investment. Though you might have a larger initial investment to showcase your business at a trade show than other advertising or networking methods, the cost to convert a prospect into a sale is often much lower than other alternatives. With proper research and planning, trade shows are one of the most cost-effective sources of leads and sales possible.
Visitors are in the right mind frame during the show
Unlike cold calling, exhibition visitors are always in the right frame of mind to attend the show. So even when you want to capture the nerve of your audience with your exhibition stand, your customer should be attentive enough to appreciate the exhibition stand designs and effectively gets the message communicated.
Improve your brand image
Having a well-designed website and an impressive profile for you and your company in social networks for b2b is the first step to improve your brand’s image. In the trade fair, you have the chance to prove that your creativity is part of your business. Having a well-designed stall is relevant to your creativity and makes the best impression for your brand. You can also provide some free gifts or samples for visitors for further cement the brand’s image.
In conclusion therefore, the UGITF offers big benefits to businesses of any size. By combining exposure to a large number of potential leads with the ability to interact personally, the trade fair offers an experience for both the business and attendee that other forms of marketing cannot. Though virtual events and other technologies are slowly gaining popularity, few marketing methods compete with the potential of trade shows.
