Attending Trade Fairs
A Guide for Domestic and International Events
written by
The Center for Simulated Business Services at
Mercer County Community College
What Are Practice Firm Trade Fairs?
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A marketing/sales event
Event sponsored by a specific
country
Real events where firms buy and sell
simulated products and services
Real people, at a real location
Who Can Attend a Trade Fair?
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A firm that holds membership in a
recognized central office either
within the U.S. or Internationally
Maintains membership in EUROPEN
(the worldwide association of
practice firms) through its central
office membership
The general public—(visitors) can
attend the trade fair
Why Attend a Trade Fair?
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Access to potential customers
• New opportunities
• Potential buyers come to you
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Three-Dimensional Selling
• Show actual product
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One-stop Shopping
• A temporary shopping mall
• Presence of competitors encourages the buying process
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Testing New Products
• Provides “reading” on the marketability of a new product
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Competitive Boost
• Small businesses have an “edge”—the personal touch
Trade Fair Planning
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What are the specific objectives of the trade fair?
Are you introducing a new product or service?
Are you “shinning up” the firm image? If so,
what image?
Do you want to meet new customers?
Are you interested in direct sales?
Do you want to build a mailing list?
Can your success in achieving these goals be
measured?
Who is your target market?
Trade Fair Planning
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Set goals and objectives
Budget planning (real dollars)
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trade fair registration/booth
travel costs
“give aways”
booth decoration/supplies
clothes of staff attending (uniform shirt, tie, etc.)
Target market identification
Choosing display products
Advertising and promotion plans
Coordination of company personnel
Determination of show staff and size
Staff responsibilities and schedule
Follow up
Forecasting Sales
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Actual sales (dollars and quantity)
Average sales per customer
Sales to existing customers
Sales to new customers
Sales per product/service
Sales over a period of time following
the trade fair
Preparing the Staff
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Review the objectives of your participation
Familiarize everyone with products/services,
price, tax issues, delivery, and payment
Learn some basic salesmanship skills
Make a set schedule for the “booth”
representatives as well as the “walk the floor”
representatives
Schedule lunch for all participants
Make assignments for booth set up—who will do
what?
Make assignments for booth break down
Make assignments for follow up
Pre Trade Fair Preparation—
Beyond the Booth . . .
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Contact firms that you believe will be
attending the fair
Send out email and snail mail fliers
Put something up on your website
Give a “free something” for
responding to you before the trade
fair
Special Considerations in the
“Simulated” IBPF World
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Who will be purchasing?
• Employees of the other firms as
“consumers”
• The other firms as “business-tobusiness”
• The public—visitors, teachers, etc. who
will attend the fair
How will everyone pay?
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Practice firms will use their electronic bank
account to pay. Make sure you have the account
number and bank affiliation.
Students of the firms will use their personal bank
accounts. Make sure each firm attendee has
bank number, balance, and bank affiliation with
them at the fair.
Guests and visitors to the fair will have “checks.”
You should consider these sales as cash, and
assume they are carrying the product/service
with them. There will be no need to invoice them
later.
Note: You may begin to see the use of credit
cards very soon at trade fairs.
How Do We Keep Track
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Organization is the key . . .
• Every sale and how the customer pays must be tracked
• Get complete contact information from the buyer, i.e.,
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Their firm
Bank account and bank affiliation or check number
(guest/visitor)
Email address, fax number, telephone number
Create a form to gather all of this information
• Give each customer some type of receipt and maintain a
copy for the firm’s records
• Keep receipts for every purchase your firm makes as
well as for every purchase your employees make—you
will receive invoices later—so you need to keep track of
what you bought.
What Do We Do with the Checks?
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Record them accurately with each sale,
i.e., check number and sale/order number
Complete a deposit slip (provided by the
fair organizers) and deposit in the fair
bank before leaving
Remember these are “cash and carry”
orders
The deposit will be made to your company
bank account after the fair
Helpful Hints
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Make labels for your firm and for each employee
attending the fair for ease in relaying contact
information:
Firm Name
Employee Name
Address
Email
Telephone
Fax
Bank Account Number
Bank Affiliation
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Create a flier to distribute at the fair as a “hook”
to get customers to visit your booth
Special Consideration for an
International Trade Fair
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Start early
Contact the Central Office of the country you are going to
Contact CSBS to let us know so that we can help in the
process
Study the country business culture and social culture well in
advance
Understand the currency
Have your product prices translated into the foreign
currency
Make your travel and hotel plans
Make arrangements to transport/ship all of your materials
Note: it is better to bring with you than to ship
After the Fair . . .
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With accurate records and organization, the follow-up
should be quite easy
Invoice all customers who will pay with electronic accounts
immediately upon your return
Not really necessary to invoice those who paid by check—
remember they were the “cash and carry” customers
Check for the deposit in your company account that you
made at the fair
Make sure all employees in your firm pay for what they
purchased at the fair—they should have their own records
Make sure your firm pays for what they purchased at the
fair
Analyze your sales
Follow up with the “customers” you met at the fair