5 reasons why your business needs to participate in industry trade fairs
If we go back a few decades, the only method to promote companies, products, and services internationally was to participate in industry events.
The audience was very motivated and attentive, and there was a truly high number of fairs to attend.
With the advent of technology, the World Wide Web and social networks, information travels from one side of the world to the other in seconds; I can easily watch on YouTube how a product is made, how it works, I can participate in online events, webinars, and more.
So, why participate in a national or international event today?
The Trustech show in France is one of the most important global events concerning payment cards. It is among the most significant international industry fairs worldwide.
It is worth asking why multinational giants in the digital transaction, electronic, and payment card sectors—who have huge online spaces and offer fully digital services—still need to present their products and services at a “physical” trade fair instead of communicating through the web.
From this necessary premise, here are the 5 main reasons why it is still important today to participate in industry trade fairs.
1. Physical Contact: A Handshake is Better
It may seem strange, but although the economy today is based on technologies and remote, contactless transactions, it is still a highly emotional discipline, as is commerce.
The physical dimension—the ability to see your client and supplier in person—fosters social and business relationships. At industry events, everyone shares a common interest: the product or service in its various forms.
Returning to the example of the Trustech show, all visitors—whether private individuals, companies, or credit institutions—are interested in having an innovative card, be it contactless or virtualized, supporting certain services.
This shared interest acts as the driver through which attention and community are created. In this regard, the place and physical contact serve as a huge amplifier for one’s business network.
2. Socialization
At international fairs, it is possible to socialize with companies—even competitors—acquire contacts, discover innovative methodologies, create collaborations, and meet CEOs of various international industrial realities.
In this sense, industry events have substantially changed their purpose from what it was in the past, namely presenting—but especially selling—the product on site.
Today, it is much more important to create contacts and social relationships aimed at expanding one’s business.
3. From Human Relationship to Potential Client
Industry events allow companies to show what lies behind a product or service: people, machinery, ideas.
Talking about one’s experience on a common topic fosters the possibility to create new business and generate contacts to build strong commercial relationships.
This applies to exhibitors as well as visitors who represent, for example, in the case of Trustech, a credit institution with which one can create potential collaborations, partnerships, or develop specific payment services on their credit or debit cards.
4. Test Your Market and Assess Others
Participating in an event, whether national or international, helps understand if what the company offers works. At the same time, even before, it allows understanding if the market could be receptive to what you want to propose, and whether improvements or a decisive change of direction are needed.
Being present in specific trade fair contexts helps verify the potential of one’s company.
5. Brand Promotion
Being physically present with your own stand, product, or service, directly explaining functionalities to visitors, spreading your philosophy, concept, and ethics, and demonstrating your professionalism in practice, significantly improves your company brand value in the eyes of the public.
This increases the chances of developing your business and effectively tackling your market.
Why is participating in industry trade fairs still important today?
To help company business, generate new contacts, interact, create clients, and expand market prospects—activities that in many sectors cannot be delegated solely to online platforms.
Physical contact and face-to-face approach still hold great importance today; connecting decision-makers is therefore fundamental. Industry events are the places where these powerful synergies are best created.
Over the years, the number of events has steadily decreased in favor of highly specialized exhibitions where physical meetings between parties are maximized and emphasized. For this reason, given the very high specialization of events today, not being present can prove to be a real disadvantage compared to the competition.
