Trade shows may be one of the most important avenues for businesses to display their wares, but new research questions if their full potential is being exploited.
University of Queensland Business School researcher Dr Udo Gottlieb has been studying trade shows and the perceived trade show effectiveness from a visitor’s point of view as part of his PhD.
Dr Gottlieb, who has been involved in trade shows in a personal and professional capacity, said his research would shed light on how important trade shows can be to a business in more ways than just to sell a new product.
“What usually happens at these events is management sends their best sales personnel along to the exhibit with the aim to sell their latest product,” Dr Gottlieb said.
“But this is a narrow approach, focusing on just one area while neglecting many others that could potentially boost the effectiveness of trade shows.”
“Trade shows are a fantastic place to get immediate feedback from your customers as well as strengthen ties with all members of the supply chain, assess and research competitors and their goods and services.”
“Rather than just the promotional side of marketing, trade shows are able to link almost all elements of the management arena, and therefore, are essential to the entire business environment with their influences on strategic and operational decision making processes.”
Dr Gottlieb took a different approach to his research by focusing on what visitors said about the trade show rather than the businesses that exhibited.
“Too often businesses can’t explain to you why they are there except to say they have to be there because their competitors are,” he said.
“The visitors to these trade shows are a diverse lot and can include the ordinary consumer, but there are also high profile decision makers and technicians such as research and development personnel.”
“By focusing on just one type of visitor, a company is under-utilising what a trade show can offer as a decision making tool.”
Dr Gottlieb said despite being a global phenomenon, in which companies invest billions of dollars every year, trade shows had been a neglected area of research, in business and academic circles.
“Private companies as well as governmental organisations should know how significant trade shows are and that they are more significant than people previously thought,” he said.
Media inquires: Dr Udo Gottlieb (udo.gottlieb@stravico.com) or Andrew Dunne at UQ Communications (07 3365 2802).
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