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Plastic Industry Forum - Converse with Plastics Processing Leaders / Business / Exhibiting at Trade Shows
Posted:  03 Mar 2009 19:57

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Has anyone attended any trade shows as an exhibitor? 

I am curious as to whether anyone has had any success exhibiting at trade shows, and which trade shows have produced the best results(new sales). 

Where can I get information about exhibiting at trade shows?
Posted:  04 Mar 2009 04:28

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You ask a complex question - complex because it is very much company dependent.   

To learn much about the basics (free) consider contacting a "SKYLINE Exhibits" dealer in your area.  Many of them offer free seminars on trade show exhibiting.  The first one I attended taught me how we were wasting money on the shows we used to exhibit in, and better helped us focus our efforts.

There was no "hard selling" at either of the seminars I have attended. 


Dan Cunningham
Posted:  04 Mar 2009 16:36

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I've talked with several molders who attended the Medical Design and Manufacturing show (MD&M) held in Anaheim, CA last month.  This show seems to be a very solid show and the molders I talked with took a nice level of qualified leads home with them.

I've had a chance to attend this show in both CA (WEST) and NY (EAST) and thought the quality of the CA show as better. 

For molders interested and serious about the Medical market place, it might be worth further investigating this show.

Troy Nix
Posted:  05 Mar 2009 14:41

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One of the keys to deciding if a trade show is right for you is to first segment your business to determine where your sales are coming from - what are the industries and who specifically are you selling to (OEM, distributor, consumer, government, etc.).  Selling into different industries typically require unique strategies.  Also you should determine if there is are industries that you are not currently selling into, but think are important to your future.

When selling into certain channels we have found trade shows to be fruitful.  They are also a great way to see what your competitors are doing and get a feel for what the prospective customers are looking for.

Troy is spot on with his recommendation on the MD&M shows.  Others would be determined by who your targets are.

Additionally there are many business books focussed directly on trade show strategies and how to get the most out of them.

Best of luck,

Jim Eberle
Posted:  09 Mar 2009 17:16

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As Troy mentioned the MD&M show in CA is well attended. It is actually part of a series of regional shows sponsored by Canon Communications and other trade associations. They typically have four regional shows a year and combine the plastics component with other related industries such as medical and packaging. However, this year with NPE these regional shows will have fewer exhibitors... at least for plastics. If you go to the Canon website you can find more info. on the shows- http://www.devicelink.com/expo/
Posted:  25 Mar 2009 14:03

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I have had much success over the last thirty years doing 2 trade shows a year. Make sure you have a specific market to target to get the most bang for your buck. Attending regional Job Shop shows where you are one of 15 molders is not good.

Bob Holbrook
Posted:  01 Jun 2009 18:45

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If you decide to use exhibiting as a marketing function........From experiences in resin companies, color and additive companies, and processing companies, I would add that "targeting" has proven to be the most effective element to exhibiting at trade shows and fairs.  Make sure your audience is going to be there; meaning someone you actually want to sell to.  Contact your targets in advance and make appointments.  And most importantly, train your staff to be cordially attentive to getting folks into your booth and having a solid series of questions to ask them before starting to tell your story. 

You CAN measure your ROI on exhibiting, and as mentioned above, there are good books and articles on line about how to do so. 

A company not well know in plastics, but expert in exhibiting is:

Ray Hanobik
Hanobik Communications
140 Convair Dr
Coraopolis, PA 15108
(412) 264-3077





Larry Nitardy

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