International Shows – Worth The Expense?

In tough times, it is imperative that every business evaluates its expenses and determines what costs are really necessary. With the advent of World Travel Market just under a week away, many industry stakeholders have started to question whether international trade shows are worth the massive expense and have started to evaluate other options.

Michael Tatalias, CEO of SATSA, says although the traditional value that a trade show offers is still there, industry is starting to analyse exactly what value they are getting out of these shows. He furthers that with some businesses deciding to skip attending WTM this year, it might make for a 'quieter' show that will allow those present better visibility to delegates.
Tatalias also suggest pre- and post-roadshows to visit clients in the region in which the trade show is occurring in order to maximise on the trip. He even suggests visiting your clients’ clients to better understand their current environment and better facilitate offering packages that would suit their needs.
It’s also important that exhibitors take the time to plan what exactly they are going to achieve at trade shows, says Tatalias. Attendees must research the market they are presenting to and take a good few months to prepare and schedule quality appointments.

For some tourism suppliers, trade shows are more important in terms of just gaining market visibility before breaking in, says MD Planet Africa Tours, Takashi Miyata. He points out that in the case of the Japanese market, operators prefer to work with products that they have been introduced to before at trade shows such as the annual JATA (Japanese Association of Travel Agents) Congress.

Measuring the successes at international trade shows should also not be measured by how many business deals were signed, says Miyata in the case of Planet Africa’s dealings with the Japanese market, but rather the quality of the meetings held. He says that often the positive effects from these meetings only show themselves in the long term.

Source: SA tourism Update