The effectiveness of trade fairs

Abstract

Trade shows are increasingly becoming an important ingredient in the marketing mix of various companies irrespective of whether they are micro, SMEs or large organisations. Given the expensive nature of trade fair participation, this research objective was to give an insight on how one can improve the exhibiting effectiveness at international trade shows to have a sustainable ROI from such events. Although, fairs are on the increase, only a small number of studies have been conducted in this field. In view of this, this dissertation was divided into two parts. The first one related to a literature review which gave an overview of what has been discovered by other researchers in this area to date, while the second part dealt with the practical part, through a distribution of questionnaires amongst Maltese companies who benefitted from Malta Enterprise to participate in fairs, and the results have been analysed. The research made use of primary data which was both quantitative and qualitative since I needed both numerical data as well as open ended descriptions so that the respondents could further explain the reasons behind their feelings and their perceptions. There were issues where the respondents nearly all agreed positively, like for instance, the requirement of specific set goals pre-show and whether they evaluate post-show. However there were various opinions on others. One can conclude that companies interested in participating at fairs should start planning early, invest a significant share of the marketing budget, set achievable goals according to the organisation's main objectives, train the staff adequately, chose the booth and location and evaluate participation immediately post-event. Moreover, especially in the case of those offering both services and products at fairs, should try to make repetitive participation at the same fairs so that participation can be more effective and fruitful.