Are trade fairs still worthwhile?

Germany is the world's number 1 in the organization of international trade fairs. According to AUMA, around 58,000 German companies are active as exhibitors in the B2B segment and spend around 40% of their communication budget on trade fair appearances.

In the past two years, however, we have also become acquainted with many alternatives to physical trade fairs. The possibilities in the online world are virtually limitless - which stands in contrast to trade fair construction with fixed stand sizes, compliance with building regulations and time-limited events. The question of the necessity of physical trade fairs and the question of the cost-benefit ratio is therefore justified.

Reasons for exhibiting at a trade fair

There are many reasons for companies to physically exhibit at a trade fair. Personal contact is particularly important here.

• Strengthen customer loyalty at the trade fair

  A trade fair thrives on the exchange between different interested parties. In addition to acquiring new customers, maintaining existing customer relationships is particularly important. A meeting at the trade fair is ideal for this. Customers can be asked in advance about their visit to the trade fair and a joint appointment can be arranged. The exchange can take place during the trade fair or in a quiet atmosphere over dinner after the trade fair.
  
  An exchange with customers does not always have to take place in person on site for a good customer relationship. However, communication only via online channels, e.g. social media, video calls or virtual events or telephone calls, cannot keep up with a personal conversation in an exciting atmosphere.

• Competitor analysis and observation

  In order to determine the benchmark in your own industry, a regular analysis of the competition is necessary. A trade fair appearance can also be used for this purpose. If staff are not currently working on the stand, they can visit the other exhibitors and their stands.

  • What new products are being presented?

  • How are exhibits presented?

  • Are there any special promotions or technologies at the stand?

  Capture everything you particularly like and take photos. After the trade fair, you can then consider adapting one or two details to your trade fair presentation.

• Increase employee motivation with trade fair participation

  A nice side effect of a trade fair appearance is not only that you inspire trade fair visitors with your products, but also your employees. Use trade fair participation as a team event and get your employees out of their daily routine and into the colorful trade fair action.
  
  Remember that it's not just your trade fair stand that represents your company.The employees of a company do this in particular.Trade fair stands can help you to present your products in the best possible way, but ultimately it is the company's employees who manage to get trade fair visitors excited about your company.
  
  This creates a win-win situation: you inspire your employees to participate in the trade fair, train them beforehand and plan, for example, a meal together or a visit to a billiard hall or bowling center at the end of an event day. Your employees will radiate this motivation during the trade fair and will be much more successful in getting trade fair visitors excited about your company's products.

Disadvantages of participating in a trade fair

Just as we have listed reasons for participating in a trade fair above, there are also reasons against participating in a trade fair. The reasons for and against must be considered in detail for each exhibiting company and its target group in order to weigh up whether a trade fair is worthwhile or not.

Even if a company still decides to exhibit at a trade fair, the disadvantages for trade fair visitors should not be neglected:

• Time and location restrictions

  If the coronavirus pandemic has changed one thing in society, it is the demand for flexibility.
  Whether working from home or participating in virtual events - we want to be able to organize our time freely and decide when we want to go where.

• Ecological footprint

  If a few years ago you traveled 5 times a year to international trade fairs, today you think much more about your green footprint and think twice about whether the trip is really necessary or whether there might be an online alternative.

• High costs

  An individual trade fair stand, including set-up, dismantling and transportation, incurs high costs. At this point, every company needs to measure its success after participating in the trade fair to determine whether the costs are justified..

Comparison of the Leipzig Veterinary Congress 2020 vs. 2022

The coronavirus pandemic and the associated canceled trade fairs have turned the industry upside down. With the help of our event metrics technology, we were able to carry out visitor measurements at the Leipzig Veterinary Congress shortly before the coronavirus pandemic and in summer 2022.

Note: The two trade fairs took place at different times of the year. The TÄK 2022 also had a 3rd event day. These changes may have an impact on Insights.

Number of trade fair visitors

Around 150 more people will visit the Leipzig Veterinary Congress exhibition in 2022. This year, these visitors are spread over 3 event days, while the TÄK 2022 only took place on 2 days.  

Average time spent at the trade fair stand

The average length of stay in 2022 is 10 - 15 minutes, which will fall slightly in 2022. This year, an average dwell time of 10 - 13 minutes can be measured.

These key figures show that there is a need for physical trade fairs despite small fluctuations. This is also confirmed by AUMA studies. The success of individual trade fair participations is heavily dependent on factors such as the trade fair concept, stand personnel, etc: Trade fair concept, stand personnel, etc.

All insights on TÄK 2020 and 2022 as well as further visitor measurements for individual trade fairs can be found in our trade fair stand evaluations.

Why trade fair participation alone is no longer enough

The coronavirus pandemic has driven digitalization in the trade fair industry. Although we see that a physical trade fair still has its raison d'être, we also recognize the disadvantages compared to online formats. These will continue to grow in the coming years, meaning that we will not always be able to meet the target group at a physical trade fair.

However, in order to be successful, other channels must also be used to meet the target group in the respective phase of the customer journey. The combination of physical and virtual trade fairs can unite the advantages of both worlds and compensate for the disadvantages of the other.

Are trade fairs still worthwhile? Our conclusion:

Personal contact at a trade fair cannot be 100% replaced by a digital alternative. However, digital alternatives shine with other advantages, so that personal contact on site may be of secondary importance and can be neglected at one point or another. What attracted visitors to your trade fair stand just a few years ago may already be standard today or may not be of interest at all. Creativity and know-how are needed to find new innovative ways every year to design an optimal trade fair presence for the relevant target group.

Our recommendation: Every crisis brings change. For example, the coronavirus pandemic has driven digitalization in the trade fair industry and created new themes for trade fairs. Use the familiar and add new and innovative approaches to make your trade fair presentation a success.