Domestic farmers come to a trade show to see what they have not seen at their usual dealer: new equipment, a new seed line, monitoring technology from elsewhere. Most of that comes from international suppliers. An aquaculture show without international exhibitors will find it hard to hold visitors who have been to many shows.
But attracting international exhibitors to an aquaculture show is quite different from selling booths at home. Buyers are far away, the language differs, budget processes differ, and they usually want certainty about the payoff before flying over. This article suggests where to start, drawing on the international sales and marketing material in the CEM guides.
Decide who the target is when attracting international exhibitors to an aquaculture show
Do not invite "international suppliers" in general. Choose by the product groups set out in the article on segmenting exhibitors at an aquaculture trade show, then choose countries by where an input supply industry for aquaculture is well developed. Examples to picture it: aeration and sensor equipment, feed additives, selectively bred seed lines, processing machinery. Ask local distributors which foreign brands they represent, which brands are not yet in the market, and which companies have already enquired about your show.
Four ways in
- Regional booth sales agents. The CEM guides describe agents who specialize in selling booths to international exhibitors, usually paid by commission on booths sold. Some organizers give an agent an exclusive contract for a region or a country, and others hire several agents at once. Choose agents by their ties to aquaculture in that market, not by the size of their office.
- Associations, chambers of commerce and trade promotion bodies in that country. The guides list sources for reaching a global audience: government sources, chambers of commerce, partnering associations, international trade publications and list brokers. List quality varies, so check before using one.
- Country pavilions (international pavilions). A group of companies from one country stand together under a shared sign, often organized by a trade promotion body. The guides note that at many US shows pavilions are government-sponsored and often take island or block layouts. Details are in the article on the international pavilion.
- Local distributors representing foreign brands. They rent space on behalf of the brand or with it, and are the easiest channel because they already know the market.
What they need to hear
The booth sales material stresses that a feature only describes, while a benefit persuades. For a foreign exhibitor the benefit is not floor area. It is access to domestic buyers: how many large dealers have registered, whether a matching program is already set up, whether there is a technical seminar slot for them to present in. Prepare a one-page English fact sheet from last edition: visitors by group, province and return rate. Visitor numbers must be credible enough, see the article on auditing visitor figures.
A concrete support package often decides more than the booth price: an invitation letter for visa applications, a list of hotels near the hall, an introduction to importing dealers at home, and an English-speaking contact who answers within the day. A small-group matchmaking program is a strong invitation to foreign suppliers, since they meet the right buyers before the show.
Documents and contracts
The sales document is bilingual, following the frame in the article on the exhibitor prospectus, with an extra page of rules for foreign exhibitors covering payment terms, cancellation, currency, relevant taxes and who handles sales. The guides advise consulting local experts to avoid legal, cultural or ethical problems. For display goods, ask the freight forwarder and customs authority in advance about temporary import and re-export procedures, and tell the exhibitor who handles each step, much as with the shipping charges in the article on drayage.
The international area on the plan
Foreign exhibitors need to see their place on the floor plan early. The floor plan guide asks how country pavilions and special areas should be marked so they stand out. Put the international area where visitors must pass, as an anchor from the article on the aquaculture trade show floor plan, not in a far corner.
Start early
The sales cycle for international exhibitors is longer than at home, since they need annual budgets, parent-company approval and travel scheduling. The 12-to-9-month window before opening in the roadmap for organizing an aquaculture trade show is when to call the core international exhibitors first and sign agents. Inviting early also secures a good place on the plan for the international area, because once domestic exhibitors have chosen their booths, what is left is usually the far corners.
Need help opening the international exhibitor market?
If you are looking for ways of attracting international exhibitors to an aquaculture show and need someone to define targets, write bilingual documents and work with agents and associations abroad, you can send a request through the quote page or book a call with Nguyen Anh Trung. Share the product groups and the countries you want to reach.
People from far away fly in only when they can see who will sit across the table.