Learning Objectives 教学目标
After completing this unit, students should be able to:
—understand what a trade fair is about
—comprehend basic trade fair vocabulary
—understand the main functions of trade fair
—understand how to participate in a trade fair
—know how to conduct business at a trade fair
—recognize some famous international and domestic trade fairs.
Lead In
Trade fairs often involve a considerable marketing investment by participating companies. Costs include space rental, design and construction of trade show displays, telecommunications and networking, travel, accommodations, and promotional literature and items to give to attendees. In addition, costs are incurred at the show for services such as electrical, booth cleaning, Internet services.
Today, exhibitions have become one of the most effective mediums for establishing and maintaining customer relations in an increasingly digital age. They are the only media where buyer, seller and product physically come together—a potent force for business.
Exhibitions provide a highly flexible environment in which a wide range of sales and marketing objectives can be achieved, from generating sales leads and launching new products, to building brand image, maintaining customer relations and appointing new agents. With a wealth of exposure opportunities from stand presence and sponsorship to seminars and competitions, and awards, together with the websites, exhibitions and trade fairs provide a dynamic environment for the sales and marketing activities.
Unlike magazines and direct mail, exhibitions involve a two-way communication process. visitors can question, challenge and debate. Exhibitors can give and seek information. Most importantly, form of selling, and of building business is conducted face to face—the most persuasive form of selling, and of building customer relationships.
Exhibition visitors are proactive rather than passive recipients of your sales and marketing messages. They make a conscious decision to attend, and set aside valuable time to do so. Many are specifiers and influencers who it might otherwise be impossible to identify. The buyer feels under no great pressure to buy, while the seller is not apprehensive about visiting the buyer on his home territory.
Exhibition are also one of the quickest and most cost-effective means of exploring and entering new export markets. Individually, the benefits listed are not unique to exhibitions but what is unusual is their combination in a single, highly flexible promotional tool. Exhibitions combine the mass reach of advertising, the targeting of direct mail, the persuasive power of face to-face selling, and the networking benefits of the Internet, to create a unique environment in which a wide range of sales and marketing objectives can be pursued, either singly, or side by side.
