A fair is an economic, social, or cultural event that can be established or temporary, and that can take place at a fixed venue or take place on the go. Fairs are often dedicated to a specific theme or have a common purpose.

Specifically, in the world of events, we refer to "fairs" when we talk about facilities where products from a single commercial or industrial sector are exhibited for their promotion and sale, such as the "Book Fair" or the "Footwear Fair". ”.

Fairs have a special relevance in the commercial market since they provide many advantages to their exhibitors:

It is a perfect way to get in touch with your target audience

Contact with customers is direct and personalized

Fair attendees are people already interested in the specific topic and are usually willing to see offers and buy

So much so, that many companies make a large percentage of their annual sales solely at trade shows . That is why we will review the characteristics of this type of event, one of the most celebrated today in most countries.

Types of fairs.

We can classify the fairs according to several criteria:

  1. Depending on the scope or coverage of the fair, we find:
    1. Regional fairs: they are limited to exhibitors from the same country or region.
    2. International fairs: These are large exhibition events that are carried out to facilitate business meetings of exhibitors or companies from different countries.
  2. On the other hand, we can classify the fairs according to the type of activity. This type of classification obeys the area of ​​activity of the participants:
    1. Commercial
    2. industrial
    3. handmade, etc.

Elements of organization of the fairs.

Printing, Mailing & Fulfillment Reston, VA are organized like any other event, although it is true that, either due to their complexity or their specificity, they present some characteristics that can differentiate their organization from other events in some aspects.

Although the best way to learn about the organization of a fair is to practice and study successful cases in the production of Fairs, we will quickly review the key elements for planning and organizing these events.

Election of the Headquarters.

It is undoubtedly the first factor that must be taken into account when organizing the event. It involves not only the choice of the place where it will take place.

Many other aspects are also chosen, such as:

  1. Your location
  2. Accessibility
  3. Parking lots
  4. Security
  5. Natural and artificial lighting
  6. Decor
  7. Sound and setting
  8. The design concept of the physical exhibition space

The typical distribution of a fair consists of the organization of the exhibition space in large areas called pavilions, which in turn are divided into smaller units called stands. The sizes of the stands can vary according to the needs and budget of each exhibitor.

For the design and composition of the stand, there is a wide range of dividing systems, and you can count on companies that are dedicated to its design and assembly.

They generally provide other items as well, such as:

  1. Furniture and accessories
  2. shelves
  3. Showcases and counters

Date and duration.

To choose the date and duration, aspects such as the availability of the chosen venue and the coincidence with other similar events, which may distract the attention of the target audience, must be taken into account.

The duration is also closely linked to the planning of the objectives of the exhibition, and the amount of the public that is estimated to be able to attend it.

Another factor that usually affects the duration is the periodicity of the fair and its age. The already consolidated fairs, which have 20 or more editions, usually last between 3 and 5 days.

Planning.

As organizers of the event, we will be responsible for establishing order and a sequence of tasks that ensure its success. This is achieved by developing a plan that contemplates all the activities, from the informal ones such as the assembly and disassembly of the exhibitions to the formal ones such as the inauguration and attention to guests; also including the application of controls during the event, contingency planning, and security measures.

Among the main tasks to be developed we can highlight:

  1. Preparation of an action plan, execution times and designation of those responsible for objectives
  2. Selection and determination of services and products to be marketed at the fair
  3. Definition of target audience
  4. Analysis for the determination of the budget
  5. Contact and communication to potential exhibitors
  6. Determination of the dimensions and location of the stands in the venue
  7. Materials to be exhibited, assembly and disassembly, logistics and transport
  8. Preparation of the communication campaign and visitor attraction

Like the organization of any event, a fair is not an impromptu act but is prepared for months, usually lasts several days, and is usually repeated for years.

Publicity and promotion.

It is one of the most important tasks in the process of organizing the fair since the promotion of the event is essential to ensure its success. The development of an advertising campaign, accompanied by an adequate media strategy is essential to meet the communication objectives of the exhibition towards the previously defined target audience, with a view to capturing their attention and promoting their attendance.

It is usually best to hire the services of an advertising agency for these purposes since they have specialized personnel, are trained to develop an attractive creative concept, and have the experience to suggest the best media contracting strategy for the transmission of the advertising message. such as television, radio and press. The size of the advertising agency must be adequate for the event we are planning, as we have already seen when studying the selection of providers.

Commercialization.

To market the spaces of a fair, the most frequent thing is to design a plan of the room with the distribution of the modules of a standard size (2x2 / 3x2 / etc.); corridors and access areas, so that each exhibitor, depending on their needs, can hire the number of modules they need to set up their stand.

The sale of the space entails the offer of services that correspond to each module:

  1. Services included: they are awarded the module, such as renting the land, lighting, carpeting, erection of walls, signage, and general security of the exhibition... depending on the case.
  2. Complementary services: are those that the exhibitor is free to request, such as furniture, decoration, plants, special connections to the network, hostess, insurance for its contents, etc.

When closing the agreement, the exhibitor must receive his contract with a map showing the location of his stand in the whole of the exhibition, as well as an individual map of each stand. It is important to highlight that for exhibitors it is usually vital to know which other exhibitors are participating in the fair, as well as who will be the exhibitors next to their stand.

Marketing at fairs implies, therefore, a great effort to coordinate spaces and services, not only with each exhibitor, but as a whole, since the decisions of one exhibitor will directly or indirectly affect the rest.

The advantages of fairs.

Fairs are one of the most important and, at the same time, most efficient instruments for promotion, marketing, commercialization, and communication. They are a meeting point between supply and demand that facilitates business. For exhibitors, fairs are a means to publicize their products or services, observe the competition, test or launch products, study the market, visit and be visited by their customers, find distributors and make sales.

Participation in a fair must offer the following advantages and opportunities:

  1. It is the customer who visits the company and not the other way around: he is willing to end up buying. It's just time to sell him.
  2. The customer is available: no prior appointment is necessary; he has nothing else to do, he is predisposed to buy.
  3. Clients who are very difficult to attract elsewhere come to a fair: sometimes unknown to the sales network; in other cases, from places not covered by it.
  4. At a fair, the product is king: the exhibitor must pay attention to detail in the presentation of its products and try to present the entire collection, including special offers.
  5. The cost per sales contact at the fair is unquestionably the lowest: in a few days you can sell a lot to many, even the most difficult customers.