Are Trade Shows Obsolete? Don’t bet on it

With the growing dominance of the online realm, many companies are beginning to rethink the marketing channels they use to connect with customers. It is very tempting to throw trade shows into the same bucket of declining channels as print and television advertisement. If you look a little deeper, however, trade shows can be a very valuable source of new business when used correctly.


Tradeshow Attendees: The Right Audience Statistically, around 85% of trade show attendees have some purchasing power of goods or services for their company. That means a large majority of attendees in the sea of people at your next show could be potential customers, it’s just a matter of identifying and establishing relationships with the right prospects and generating booth traffic.


Lead Cost According to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research, the average cost of a exhibition lead is $215. Comparatively, a non trade show lead can cost as much as $1,039. This takes into account the marketing costs to generate a lead and the extra effort it takes to achieve the same face to face interaction. Consider your average cost of acquisition for a non show lead.

In the end, it just makes sense… Finally, considering the high level of competition with other channels, especially online marketing, trade shows just make sense. In no other setting do you have such a captive audience that is attending an event geared specifically to your product or service.