Why and what for; two terms that most people would probably assign the same meaning to. Two terms, also, that every trade event participant should wonder about. But wonder about them according to their own, separate meaning.
Trade event participation: why?
Ask yourself the question: “Why am I choosing to participate in a trade event?”. “Why this specific instrument to help my company grow?”. This question is central to your efforts, because you could also use different ways of marketing your product. The choice is yours. Preferably a well-informed choice of course. So, why choose trade event participation?
First and foremost, you want to reach your target audience. Reaching them as in, making contact with them, but also as in, having your message reach them. If you select the right trade event, then your target audience is usually well represented. This achieves your goal of making contact. To also have your message reach your target audience, trade event participation offers you the unique “communication combination” of:
- face-to-face meetings
- 3-dimensional displays
- influencing all senses.
So trade events are a distinctly strong means of communication. Does that make them ‘the place to be’ for everyone? Well, I don’t know about that. Because, beware! If you participate in trade events, you are on the frontline of doing business. Where it is make or break for your image. It would be wise to perform noticeably well across the entire communication combination. Simply because you’d rather come prepared when entering the frontline, right?
Trade event participation: what for?
And then the term ‘what for’. What for doesn’t have anything to do with trade events as an instrument. What for is about you. What for means: “What are we participating in this event for?” “What is in it for us?”. Your – preferably specific – answer to the question what you are participating for, is then your compass for determining how to participate. Your answer is your compass for determining how to use the unique communication combination.
