First thing’s first: May you have a healthy and prosperous 2016! In the coming year. I also sincerely hope we’ll meet face to face at one of the numerous 2016 packaging industry events. See you at the show then?
Getting out to see your industry peers is a proven way to create new business opportunities. This is particularly true for B2B enterprises and particularly for small to medium sized businesses (It certainly has been our experience!). Have a look at this table from Chad Pollitt, an online marketing expert. The graph is taken from a 2015 survey on B2B enterprise trends, which was conducted by the Content Marketing Institute and Marketing Profs*. At the top of the list at 73% of those surveyed said their most effective tactics are events where people meet (conventions, conferences, etc.)
And, according to the study, this result is up 4% from last year. This popularity is corroborated by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research, which recently stated that the exhibition industry is now experiencing its highest growth rate since mid-2012. If you weren’t yet attending industry events, now’s the time to start!
In no particular order, here are some of the benefits of attending industry shows:
- ? Most people are there to establish connections
- ? Most people there have the power to purchase for their company
- ? You get to be face to face, explore topics and establish relationships and with your prospects
- ? You get to show/demonstrate your products and services in a retail-like environment
- ? You can learn a lot about your competition
- ? You get a feel for overall industry trends and prospect interests
- ? You’ll get positive impact and sales opportunities from the event long after it’s over, through the contacts you’ve made
I’m sure you can think of a few more. That said, here is the list of shows we’ll be at, with links. I encourage you to have a look and see which ones best suit your business objectives.
Hope to see you at the show!
- ? Natural Products Expo West from March 11 to 13 2016 in Anaheim, CA, Booth # 242
- ? Brew Expo – from May 3 to 6 in Philadelphia, PA (booth number forthcoming)
- Natural Products Expo East – Baltimore, MD from September 22 to 24, 26, Booth # 2509
- ? Salon Industriel de Québec– from October 4 to 6 2016, booth # 5
- ? Packex Chicago from November 6 to 9 2016 – Booth # 8939
- ? Montreal Packex, November 30 to 1 December 2016 – Booth # 2407
*Chart from the Content Promotion Manifesto by Chad Pollitt 2015:http://connect.relevance.com/contentpromotion-manifesto
