SPRING 2022

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THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
IFE THE BENEFITS OF EVENTS: WHY TRADE SHOWS ARE CRITICAL TO CONNECTION from page 46
Trade shows also allow for access to better
customer insights. Real-time customer feedback is a
unique opportunity at trade shows. As booth staff listen
to customers’ challenges, they can learn how to adapt
the business and its products or services to meet
their needs. In the case of a new product launch, expo
attendees can help provide immediate feedback about
features they love. The direct interactions trade shows
offer can give valuable insights that help your business
improve their products and services.
Trade shows allow for great lead generation
potential and a chance to boost brand visibility to
targeted customers. Trade show attendees are eager
to source immediate solutions to their business needs,
so focus on building your brand among these qualified
prospects. Your booth should stand out, or prospects
may quickly leave and head to the next booth. Your
booth’s presentation should make an initial connection
with prospective customers. As an exhibitor, consulting
with experts before attending an expo can help you
maximize the benefits of having a booth. Seeking advice
from someone on the International Fastener Expo team
can help you optimize your booth’s performance on
the show floor. If you’re looking to target fresh leads,
consider promoting QR codes linking to social media
accounts or online lead generation pages or offer
exclusive incentives on the show floor to those who
submit contact information or sign a contract on the
show floor.
One of the ways to build better customer relationships
at a trade show is by educating your customers.
Informative content has proven to be a valuable marketing
strategy that helps build authority and credibility. As
many of you may be aware, that’s been a critical
component of my work in the industry as informative and
also entertaining content provides customers with a way
to engage your company that doesn’t necessarily result
in sales right away but can certainly impact the inter- and
intra-personal organizational health of your business.
Attendees will get more value from your company
if you use the same educational approach coupled with
your expo promotional materials. One of the ways trade
shows can help in building connections is by offering
customer education using face-to-face connection, panel
discussions or seminars held at your booth. Providing
attendees with a learning experience shows that your
company is one of the authorities on specific topics in
the industry.
This is a critical way for some companies to establish
themselves or develop themselves within certain niches
and for others to expand upon product lines, plant the
seeds for the development of novel products, and to
keep tabs on industry trends as such events occur.
Having been the business development manager for a
relatively smaller, yet very effective (unbiased opinion,
of course…) metric importer prior to joining IFE (the day
before the 21’ show, by the way…), I saw firsthand how
a niche became a critical staple for an industry as events
necessitated new supply lines for many U.S. supply
chains. This is also why an event like IFE, which brings
together more fastener manufacturers, distributors and
suppliers, along with leading industry partners, in one
place and time anywhere in North America is a critical
component of the fastener industry and why I argue that
2022 particularly is the year for some companies to
return, some to debut and others to invest and capitalize
on the shifting market conditions not just to hit this
year’s numbers, but to establish themselves as the
leaders in their respective roles with positive value for
bottom lines for many years to come!
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