PLANNING AN EXHIBITION 469z Reach of the exhibition or trade fairs : both quantitatively (number of visitors) and qualitatively
(profi le of visitors).
z Costs and estimated return of fair participation.
z Programme of the exhibition : the subject of the exhibition should correspond to the
characteristics of the products or services a company is selling.
z Presence of competitors : not participating could send negative signals to the market of
buyers, and competitors may use your absence as a strategic tool in negotiations with your
(ex-)clients.
z Reputation and fame of an exhibition and its organiser.
z Number of participants.
z Media attention for former exhibitions.
z Own experiences with previous exhibitions.
z Supporting activities , such as workshops, readings, conferences.
z Timing of a trade fair : fairs should be scheduled into the planning of a company and sales
leads generated at a fair need sales capacity immediately aft er the fair.
Types of visitors and the types of products or services presented at trade fairs are the most
important selection criteria. Other important criteria include estimated numbers of leads,
numbers of visitors, costs and publicity. Date and duration of the event and reputation of the
organiser are the least important criteria. For instance, for fi nancial advisers, fairs for senior
citizens can draw big crowds of retirees looking for fi nancial information, but there is a good
chance that every broker and insurance agent will be present at the fair as well. Th e same can
be said for specifi c fi nancial expositions. Th erefore fi nancial advisers should be more creative
in their choice of public fairs. For instance, expositions for expectant parents might be inter-
esting to reach parents and grandparents. Health fairs can also be interesting. Even boat
shows or construction equipment trade shows could be important fairs for the fi nancial
adviser. Th e former attracts people with enough money for boats, who will certainly also have
funds to invest. Th e attendees of the latter are owners of, or upper management in, companies
that could need retirement plans and other fi nancial advice.^22Infratech is a Dutch trade fair for civil engineering, ground, water and road construction that takes place in the Ahoy
in Rotterdam. In 2008, the Belgian fair organiser Flanders Expo decided to organise ‘Infratech Belgium’. The first
version of the new trade fair was held in Flanders Expo on 12–15 February 2008. The dynamic world of the civil
engineering, hydraulic engineering, road construction and traffic engineering industry demands up-to-date know-
ledge and excellent contacts. The pace of technological development is fast and working conditions are becoming
increasingly complicated and, consequently, there is an increasingly urgent need for fast, effective collaboration
and tailored solutions for implementation of infrastructure projects. The exhibitors are companies working in general
construction (manufacturers and distributors of construction machinery and materials, concrete construction, ground-
work, soil surveys, etc.), road construction (road construction work, bridge construction, tunnel construction, paving,
sewer work, etc.), hydraulic engineering (dredging, water treatment plants, water barrier and water barrier
products, underwater work, hydrological construction, harbour construction, etc.), railway engineering (railway
construction, manufacturers of railway machinery, etc.), drilling (drilling and sounding work, horizontal drilling andBUSINESS INSIGHT
Infratech: evaluation of the market potential for a new trade show concept by
analysing exhibitor marketsM14_PELS3221_05_SE_C14.indd 469M14_PELS3221_05_SE_C14.indd 469 5/6/13 3:00 PM5/6/13 3:00 PM