2 / How to choose Exhibitions
Indeed forwarding what has been said before, strong would be temptation to take part in the greatest number of Exhibitions. Two constraints :
- Budget: Marketing Department goal is to get the more money (!) and to dispatch it. Indeed, is it better to invest all the budget in a big Parisian exhibition or to distribute it with two other Exhibitions for instance in foreign markets ?
- Theme : one can distinguish three kind of reason to exhibit :
1 / Compulsory ones. It is the Exhibition of the year in your branch of industry. In fact the company must be or else it will pass there for dead one. Imagine General Motors absent at Detroit Motor Show ! You won't see so many new customers. On the other hand you are sure to see a lot of people because all the customers and prospects will be there as well as the partners.
2/ Export and related businesses. Much more risky. This investment implies to bet on new technologies or new markets. In any case this is not your dedicated market. But as we have seen above this is a real market study which gives you the opportunity to evaluate how the market is welcoming your products. Consequently Marketing Department should revise all Marketing supports and communication according to its new target.
3 / Opportunities. God knows that Marketing Department is often requested for the last thunganamy Exhibition. However There are some opportunities. CFME (French Center of Abroad Exhibition) part of CFCE (see competitive intelligence) helps French companies to make exhibitions abroad and sometimes arrange itself its own exhibitions. This the way we participate to the FRANCE TECHNOLOGIE exhibition in Johannesburg.
Some other opportunities are interesting. A Partner suggest you to be present with leaflets, or physically on its own stand. For free or not, this is offently a cheap way to participate to a related businesses exhibition at a lower cost.