Routes to market
‘Our industry has to try to educate and train machine vision users to help them solve inspection and automation tasks and build effective solutions; otherwise bad experiences from insufficient knowledge creates a bad reputation for machine vision,’ he said.
New shows So with more companies exhibiting at less traditional fairs, how do vision firms decide on which shows to attend? To avoid wasting resources on shows that might turn out to be unsuitable, companies carefully assess them beforehand. ‘Before we commit to exhibiting at a trade show, we typically evaluate it by sending a sales representative to walk the show, research the quality of the attendees and target applications and make recommendations whether to exhibit or not,’ said Point Grey’s Gibbons. Careful evaluation is also necessary aſterwards
to decide on whether a certain show will be worth attending again, explained Sam Lopez of Matrox Imaging: ‘If we feel that the show has produced good results (leads converted to sales), and that the show is still relevant both from an industry standpoint as well as from an evolving product line standpoint, then we may decide to attend again.’
A new age In the age of the internet, there are more ways to interact with customers and introduce technologies than ever before, from social media and smart phone apps to online newsletters and product listings. Te vast collection of promotional methods available nowadays means that trade shows only make up part of a company’s marketing budget and strategy. ‘Shows are just one part of the marketing mix. You need to offer potential customers a good experience in every way they choose to research for solutions,’ Stemmer’s Williamson pointed out. ‘We focus on trying to deliver a good experience in all the ways a customer chooses to interact with us, such as the internet, magazines, news services, mailings, social media and mobile applications.’ AVT’s Roman is in agreement: ‘We are continuously exploring new ways to not only promote our products and services but also engage with the market and listen to its needs. For example, online technologies offer more and more interactivity to sustain this two-way communication,’ he said. But even with the availability of more tools for advertisement and communication, some
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Trade fairs give the opportunity for companies to talk to their customers, or potential customers, face to face
companies believe that trade shows are the most effective method for business. ‘Even in times where the internet allows digital events and shows, nothing is better than personal meetings to talk to your potential customer and work on a personal relationship that helps to build trust between the business partners,’ commented Stemmer’s Williamson. Just as commercial companies are taking
It is also working in the other direction − Asian companies are appearing more at European trade shows
advantage of online platforms to boost brand awareness, introduce new products, and interact with customers, trade show organisers are also using the internet to promote fairs. Te international society for optics and photonics, SPIE, has developed a smart phone app that runs for eight weeks leading up to shows such as Photonics West and Medical Imaging, and two weeks aſterwards. Te app, which SPIE describes as its ‘fastest growing channel’, provides information on
exhibitors, coinciding conferences, and more, and companies can advertise on the app to boost the number of visitors at its stand. According to Florian Niethammer, director
of Project Vision at Messe Stuttgart, this rise in digital promotion is, and will, be beneficial for trade shows: ‘Today we are fortunate to experience and engage with masses of online information, both in our private and business lives, but despite this, or maybe even because of it, I believe that trade fairs will continue to play an important role in developing businesses, accessing new markets, as well as reaching out to both existing and new customers – now and in the future.’
10 Imaging and Machine Vision Europe • Yearbook 2014/2015
Shift to the east Not only is the use of machine vision on the rise outside the factory floor, but also in different geographical regions. According to figures presented by the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) at a Vision 2014 press conference in July 2014, surveyed European machine vision companies recorded the strongest growth in Asia in 2013: an increase of 28 per cent compared to 2012. ‘More than one fiſth of the European machine
business is taking place in Asia. Tis underlines the strategic importance of this dynamic region for the European suppliers of vision technology. We expect this share to grow further and at a fast pace’, said Donato Montanari, member of the Board of VDMA Machine Vision and general manager of the machine vision business unit of Datalogic Automation. Tis growth, which the VDMA put down to
an increase in quality assurance and automation, has evidently led to more interest for trade shows in this region. ‘One trend is the dynamic growth of the market in the Asia-Pacific region. I think shows in this region are going to further gain importance versus American or European shows,’ noted AVT’s Roman. Te development of the market in Asia has also meant that Western companies are changing their approach for the shows in this area. ‘In Asia we see an increase in our trade show efforts driven by local and regional market demands,’ said Point Grey’s Gibbons. It is also working in the other direction − Asian
companies are appearing more at European trade shows, which will be particularly noticeable at this year’s Vision, according to Niethammer: ‘We have seen significant growth, especially from Asia.’ O
Messe Stuttgart
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