Exhibitions - target marketing at its best?

One of the many, but crucial, challenges facing companies/organisations is how to make the most efficient and effective spend of marketing dollars. This takes on added importance in current times. Here's my quick fix to this problem - tradeshows and exhibitions.

Tradeshows and exhibitions are platforms for business exchange. They bring members of an industry together with customers/potential customers of the industry. Tradeshows and exhibitions offer a myriad of benefits:

- they are a great way for companies to market, promote and brand themselves to targeted markets;
- they provide a cost effective platform for the launch of new products;
- they offer companies a means to test/investigate new markets;
- they offer companies a means to test new products;
- they are goldmines for information on industry progress and intelligence
- they are a one-stop-centre for companies and individuals who desire to interact with members of the industry;
- they provide opportunities for networking - often resulting in some form of sales or business development.

The list can go on. Industry experts will tell you that tradeshows and exhibitions are a great avenue for companies and organisations to reach targeted markets in a cost effective environment.

Yes, a lot of commercial activity today gets conducted via the "e-environment" i.e. the internet and over the web. However, the face-to-face conducting of business still has a very important role to play.....nothing beats a handshake.

So, tradeshows and exhibitions continue to live on. I say "Amen" to that.