Importing Exhibitors

Attracting the international set

By Rayna Skolnik

The term "global marketplace" is fast becoming a cliche. But cliche or not, it is becoming more significant. Show managers around the country are discovering that if they're not in that marketplace, they may be out of contention. They're realizing that to increase their income and their stature in the industry, they must produce global events.

It's obvious that to grow your show, you continually need new exhibitors, whatever their country of origin. But the international scope provides a competitive edge when promoting to attendees. "International exhibitors bring more value to buyers," says Marilyn Harrington, Vice President of Account Management for Reed Exhibition Companies in Stamford, CT, and Show Manager for the Fancy Food Shows. "This is especially true in the gourmet food industry. We have an enormous selection of products in the U.S., but there are also many ethnic products from other countries. So this show is one-stop shopping for the buyers."

That view is supported by Thomas Berger, Vice President of Advanstar Expositions' International Beauty Show Group in Cleveland. "Attendees can see products here that they can't see at any other show," he says. "We publicize the fact that if there's a new product from the U.S. or from abroad, you'll see it at this show."

Where's the potential?
For some industries, the most obvious place to start looking for new exhibitors is at other shows. Thus, it pays to attend international shows, not only prospecting but also exhibiting to create awareness of your own show.

It may also be possible to obtain an exhibitor list without attending. Berger notes that the show manager of a major Italian show in his industry publishes a list of companies that want to exhibit abroad, along with the names of the countries in which they're interested. Berger then mails prospectuses to the appropriate companies on that list.

Names obtained from government organizations, industry associations and trade publications can also be used to create a prospect database. Associations or show management companies that produce their own publications have a head start on this one. "The primary source for our database is a magazine we publish," says Sammy Barkley, Show Manager for Bobbin Contexpo, managed by Bobbin Blenheim Inc. in Columbia, SC. The show, held annually in Miami, has a dual focus. Exhibitors are either manufacturers of machinery used to produce sewn products, or offshore sewn-products contractors promoting their production capabilities to U.S. manufacturers. The publication, La Bobina Notizest, is distributed throughout Central and South America, the target market for the show. "Through the readers and advertisers, we have built a broad base of potential exhibitors," Barkley explains.

Producers of the semi-annual Fancy Food Shows have achieved substantial international exhibitor participation. The summer show, the larger of the two, has about 30 percent international exhibitors, and the winter show 20 percent. Those numbers result from the implementation of a comprehensive marketing plan.

The first step in the plan is identifying countries that list food products among their top 10 export categories, says Harrington. She culls that information from several sources. The Department of Commerce's National Trade Data Bank provides, on CD-ROM, country-specific and industry-specific international trade and export data from 17 federal government agencies. "It's a wealth of information," says Harrington. She also contacts DOC's International Economic Policy Country Desk Officers for country-specific data.

Another source that Harrington finds valuable is the Export Hotline, a fax-back service that is managed by International Strategies Inc. in Boston, which is funded by several corporations and supported by the Department of Commerce. "It's fabulous," she says. "It tells you what products countries import and export, the exchange rates, what the business policies are, and more.

"Our job is to keep on top of countries' marketing programs," Harrington continues. "For example, we know that right now in England the big push is to export to America." That means English companies are hot prospects for the Fancy Food Shows.

Making the connection
"Once we identify a target country, we meet with that country's consulate in the U.S.," says Harrington. Larger countries' consulates have trade specialists for individual product categories. If the trade specialist is persuaded that the show is worthwhile, he or she prepares a prospectus and sends it back to that country's government, which might sponsor a pavilion -- a group exhibit. The pavilion sponsor contracts for the space with show management, promotes the show and handles placement of companies in the pavilion.

"It could take one or two years to develop a country into a potential pavilion," Harrington says. Take that number and double it, however, because the summer show is held on the East Coast and the winter show on the West Coast -- and each is handled by a separate consulate.

The effort is worthwhile because pavilions help attract both exhibitors and attendees. The major draw for exhibitors is that costs are lower; pavilions are often subsidized by a government body or an association. In addition, exhibitors have the security of being grouped with others who speak their language.

But the group exhibit also helps build attendance. "I like to have group participation, so I can say, for example, 'I have a French pavilion,' " says Harrington. "But there's less to promote if I have only one exhibitor from a country."

Smaller countries, such as Sri Lanka, have U.S. consulates, but no group focusing on trade, Harrington notes. "Independent marketing groups in the U.S. help such countries develop their foreign trade, and we meet with them."

Other entities can also assist show management in reaching potential exhibitors. "We build a network with the industry association, a travel agency and a government office that would support the people who want to attend or exhibit," says Barkley. "If a company in Buenos Aires, for example, wants to participate, it would be more likely to do so if it knows whom to call." Show management makes prospects aware of that network by promoting it in advertising and in direct mail.

"We build special relationships with industry associations in the targeted countries," Barkley adds. "We then ask that the association be a participating sponsor -- not by spending money, but by promoting our show. In return for their support -- if, for example, they get a certain number of exhibitors for a pavilion -- we give them space in the pavilion. We stay away from a commission system because that can be difficult to work out."

Another proponent of alliances with associations is Paul Muir, President of Communications Events, a multi-management trade show company in Norwalk, CT. "Associations outside the U.S. are very influential with their membership," he says. "Once you get accepted by the association, they'll help you work with exhibitors. To gain that acceptance, you need to demonstrate that your show attracts the most focused audience. It's important to produce statistics and show the potential for the exhibitors.

"It's also important to show experience and history in your industry," he advises. "People want to be sure the show has the support of the marketplace, that it has the backing of associations and magazines." Consequently, he adds, "You need to become a marketer, rather than just an organizer of exhibitions."

If, despite all the data, consular or association personnel still aren't convinced, consider inviting them to visit your show. The same is true, of course, for exhibitors who are undecided. "If a company is big enough, we might even pay for them to visit," says Berger.

Potential exhibitors for the National Sporting Goods Association's World Sports Expo are reached via numerous routes, says Tom Drake, Director of Marketing, Communications and Education for the Mount Prospect, IL-based association. "We work with organizations that put together delegations of exhibitors, such as consulates, trade associations, travel agencies and other show organizers. Even ad agencies can put together a delegation of five or 10 companies. We also deal directly with companies if they're large enough.

"Different countries have different customs and require different kinds of relationships," Drake stresses. "It's country by country, even case by case."

Special handling required
From logistics to language, from boothmanship to networking, international exhibitors -- especially first-timers -- are likely to need much assistance from show management. "We probably spend more time with them than with American exhibitors, for a lot less space," says Berger. He repeatedly refers to the need to "hand-carry" international exhibitors through certain procedures. But show managers who don't do that are only hurting themselves, he warns: "You must be willing to spend time with them because if they have a bad experience, they won't be back."

The hand-carrying begins before the show. If an international exhibitor will need, say, electrical service, show management checks to see that the contractor receives the order form on time. If it doesn't, the show's sales department alerts the exhibitor. And if that doesn't work, "We might even fill out the form and guarantee the payment," says Bergen. He also finds that international exhibitors often don't understand that it costs more to order services at the show than in advance and need to have that point reinforced.

On site, extra floor managers are stationed near international exhibitors. "It's important to check on them constantly," Berger points out. Union situations in the United States are more restrictive than in other countries, and exhibitors don't realize what they can and can't do. Thus, they could run into even more hassles than United States exhibitors do unless floor managers assist them.

At the pre-show meeting for new exhibitors at Contexpo, says Barkley, "we talk about differences in culture, and that also helps our U.S. exhibitors." For example, exhibitors from some Latin countries may not realize that they should step toward buyers and greet them, rather than remaining in the booth. They also are told not to smoke in the booth because some people consider that rude. "It's almost etiquette training," she says. And U.S. exhibitors are told that international attendees are very formal and won't step inside a booth unless invited to do so.

Exhibitors vary considerably in their need for language assistance. Berger notes that although his exhibitors include Asian and South American companies, in addition to Europeans, "Most of them bring English-speaking personnel because they're trying to break into the American market." He makes translators available if they're needed, however.

Much more assistance must be provided at Contexpo. Barkley explains that the show draws many small to medium-sized businesses from Central and South America; their personnel would hesitate to visit a city that is not Spanish-speaking. Thus, Miami, which is virtually bilingual, was chosen as the show site specifically to make participants comfortable. Established five years ago, and international since its inception, Contexpo now has 27 percent international exhibitors.

At the show, where exhibitors must communicate with U.S. buyers, management helps in a number of ways. All signage is bilingual, as is the directory. Barkley says that although most exhibitors bring bilingual personnel, some speak no English at all. The exhibitor manual includes forms for ordering translators for the booth.

For exhibitors who did not avail themselves of that opportunity, there is a booth with translators who can be "borrowed" for 30 minutes. Domestic exhibitors who do not speak Spanish can also borrow translators.

Putting it all together
"Part of our job as show organizers is to be matchmakers," says Muir. Here again, show management needs to expend extra effort on behalf of international exhibitors.

Some exhibiting companies are seeking distributors, Muir says, because it is too expensive to exhibit repeatedly in the United States. "We know who the distributors are, and can help them set up appointments with overseas companies," he says.

He also suggests playing host to an international reception for exhibitors. "It can be a small, intimate event," he says, "where exhibitors can meet with distributors, re-sellers, the press and speakers -- who are usually leaders in the industry. That helps exhibitors fulfill their objectives."

To help companies reach buyers, Muir finds it effective to send, along with pre-registration materials, an appointment calendar and a list of international exhibitors. Attendees indicate which exhibitors they'd like to see when and fax the calendar back to show management, which coordinates the schedules. "One week prior to the show, we fax that information to the international companies," says Muir. "They come here knowing that they already have appointments set up."

The NSGA also provides matchmaking assistance, especially necessary considering how vast the potential is. "We provide international exhibitors the opportunity to see buyers from the U.S. and 60 other countries," says Drake. "It's a wide range of countries and types of retailers, and that's a real plus." But it can also be overwhelming. Thus, show management works closely with delegations to determine their special needs. For example, if they want to reach certain buyer segments before the show, management provides appropriate mailing lists and labels.

It's clear that in some areas, the assistance that show management provides for international exhibitors is the same as that provided for domestic exhibitors. Elsewhere, there's a lot of extra attention, even coddling. But there's a good reason for that. "The turnover of foreign exhibitors is greater," says Drake. "It's not as much of a given that they'll come back. And we want them to come back."