I keep picking up stories of trade shows being canceled because of the “current economic conditions” and frankly, while this is causing severe pain for everyone involved it is really something to be viewed as a set of incredible opportunities.
Weaker companies will always go to the wall and especially in trying economic times such as these but, for the savvy businessman recessions provide fantastic opportunities to seize more market share and emerge larger and more profitable when recovery starts.
Weak trade shows are shutting their doors which is making the decision for which ones you should be spending your budget on that much easier – only the good shows are surviving, the ones where business is done and the exhibitors are making sales. Carefully selecting those shows which provide a strong track record and a history of high business levels will ensure you get the best ROI from your investment attending them.
Before you commit to exhibiting at a trade show make sure the management have provided you with the demographics and statistics from their previous shows plus who has already signed up for attending the proposed venue and not just the exhibitors but the attendees as well. The big corporates have already been pulling out of so many shows this year but when you do see them, you can take this as a fairly good sign that the show is worthwhile but you also have to temper this with big companies hitting the road because if they don’t, it looks really bad for their reputation.
There is still a lot of business out there; you are just going to have work a little harder and smarter for it but blaming everything on the economy is a bad move!
As sales and marketing people, we must constantly question ourselves and the tactics we are using to bring home business and successful sales people are the ones who have moved on from blaming someone or something else to, “I did not make that sale – what did I do wrong and how will I make sure I don’t do it again next time!”
It’s not always the economy!
0 Responses to “Economic Road Blocks Causing Trade Show Cancellations”