How Trade Shows Are Beneficial To The Hospitality Industry
Trade shows have been proven to be one of the most important marketing tools for any industry. They offer a chance to have several thousand people seeing your product and interacting with you as a provider personally (something online and TV commercials cannot achieve). You get to talk to potential clients directly and get immediate feedback on your product, along with excellent publicity.
The hospitality industry also stands to benefit from trade shows, whether they are participating in them or simply hosting them. Here’s how:
- Reaching target markets
There are different elements of the hospitality industry that are specifically suited to a particular clientele. For instance, there are attractions and theme parks that are suited for families with young children, while fine dining restaurants may require a more mature, upper-class client.
Trade shows attract people from all walks of life, so you get to meet and personally interact with your target market, as well as develop a customer database, which are all invaluable opportunities to any business owner or manager.
- Forming partnerships
At these shows, you not only get a chance to meet potential clients, but you could form some profitable partnerships with other businesses as well. For instance, hotels looking to add something new to their experience could partner with a particular attraction within their area, which they could exclusively market as part of their hotel experience.
- Real-time self-evaluation
Setting up your booth alongside your competition at these events is a great time to evaluate how far you have come as a business, and what more you need to do. Along with the immediate feedback you will receive from potential clients, you have a chance to check out the competition and see what you could strengthen within your products and/or service provision.
- Making some money
This is especially true if it is within your area. Some participants may require accommodation, a meal, or just a place to relax and unwind after a long day. All these are opportunities for the hotel industry in your area to offer these services to the participants and make yourselves some money. This can be even better if you are a hotel provider hosting the entire event in your facility.
Since opportunities favour the prepared, here are some ways you can make the most of the trade shows organized within your location:
- Organize your money: Setting up a display is expensive, so you will need to plan for it.
- Determine your offers: These are a great way to get people to visit your business during the event. So, plan on your offers in advance and ensure they are listed along with the trade show advertisements and displayed clearly on your display.
- Prepare enough literature: Print out enough catalogues for people to take away with them after visiting your stand. That way, they will remember to visit your facility during or after the event.
- Free samples at the stand: If you are selling a particular product, you can bring it to the stand so that people can sample it as they talk to you. For instance, if you own a restaurant, you can bring some of your signature snacks for potential clients. They will definitely remember your restaurant, especially if they liked it.
