SALES AND MARKETING


Fair enough


QUESTIONMARK OVER EVENTS SUCHAS TRADE FAIRS, THE BENEFITS OFMEETING A CLIENT FACE TO FACE STILL CAN’T BEUNDERESTIMATED. GRAINNE ROTHERY REPORTS


ALTHOUGHTHE INTERNETHAS RAISED A


Online access to information and to networking opportuni- ties, combined with tighter marketing budgets and fewer staff resources in recent times, may have some small to medium- sized enterprises questioning the importance of attending or participating in trade shows. However, these face-to-face events can still bring huge ben-


efits once companies are clear about their own objectives, do plenty of preparation beforehand and put time into following up leads and requests afterwards. “There is no doubt that the ease of information availability on


theweb can replace some ofwhatwas previously provided by the trade fair,” says Tom Trainor, chief executive of the Marketing Institute of Ireland. “However, the trade fair still trumps the web in opportunities for the buyer to efficiently speak with suppliers, view and sample new products, and form a view of the credibil- ity of potential suppliers. So, in a sense, the web ismore likely to enhance the efficiency of the trade fair rather than diminish it.” Trainor warns,however, that doing a trade show in isolation is


a waste of time and money. “The firm needs to understand where the trade fair fits in the marketing and sales process. I have seen situations where the export strategy is the trade fair. You can bet your last euro on that strategy failing.”


26 OWNER MANAGER VOL 3 ISSUE 3 2010 FACE-TO-FACE VALUE


“The general feedback from our client companies is that the face-to-face relationship is very, very valuable,” says Irene Sadleir, senior executive in Enterprise Ireland’s corporate mar- keting and event management department. “You can take your conversations so far but actuallymeeting up


with someone face to face, shaking their hand, getting them to hold your product and look at it, is valuable to taking the conver- sations further.” Although participation usually involves quite a significant


outlay, this can actually be a cost-effective way of meeting up with existing customers and prospective clients in the region. “You’d probably end up spending a lotmoremoney if youwere


booking individual meetings with these prospective clients,” she says. Jim Maguire, manager, exporter communications, also at


Enterprise Ireland, says trade fairs can be valuable for early-stage companies to get an overview of what’s happening in their particularmarket. “The big international fairs will allow you to do that very eas-


ily,” he says.“It can be useful to you,even if you don’t take a space, as a way of networking and seeing what’s happening inmarkets.


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