Trade fair participation compact.

• Selection of trade fairs
• Budget
• Trade Fair Cost Calculator
• Basic principles of the calculator
• Information about the Calculator
• Information about the costs study
• Procedures and time schedule
• Selection of exhibits
• Registration and preparation
• Fair stand
• Stand personnel
• Public relations and communication
• Follow-up and monitoring success

Define participation objectives

The trade fair objectives should be coordinated within the scope of medium-term corporate planning with the corporate and marketing objectives. Trade fairs as multifunctional dialogue instruments make it possible to put the focus on communication objectives. At the same time, it is necessary, however, to formulate objectives so clearly that success can be measured (sales, number of contacts, number of new customers acquired).

In the following list, the key points of a trade fair participation are mentioned:

Trade fair participation

Selection of trade fairs
Budget/Trade Fair Cost Calculator
Procedure and time schedule
Selection of exhibits
Registration and organizational registration
Fair stand
Stand personnel
Public relations and communication
Follow-up and motoring success

This is achieved by formulating objectives for four different areas:

Communications
Product design
Pricing and terms
Distribution

Budget

Budget planning is part of the careful preparation for trade fair participation. Cost factors, in addition to basic costs such as stand rental and energy supply are costs of stand construction, furnishing and design, stand service and communication, transport, handling as well as personnel and travel costs.

In the following trade fair cost calculator, as an exhibitor you can enter your trade fair expenditures. Giving the size of the stand and activating one of the three checkboxes alongside (service provider, industry, general exhibitor) the parameters for the average costs per/m² and the total sum will be calculated.

If you, as an exhibitor have detailed information, you have the opportunity to firm up your calculation via the entry fields. As soon as an entry has been made, an update of the other entry fields is made. Through the explicit entry the precision of the planned trade fair costs will be increased.

Basic principles of the trade fair cost calculator

In an extensive study, in 1994, the average total costs of a trade fair participation according to type were established. To this end, the following types were selected:

International investment goods fairs
International consumer goods fairs
Regional investment goods fairs
Consumer exhibitions

In a recent study conducted by the ifo institute on the overall economic importance of trade fairs and exhibitions, these results were largely confirmed. The average stand size in Germany is around 40 m².

In a trade fair cost calculator, as an exhibitor, you can enter your trade fair expenditures. The trade fair cost calculator serves the orientation of first-time exhibitors who have no conception of the trade fair costs which are usually incurred.

For exhibitors who are organizing a subsequent participation, the trade fair costs calculator provides a practical cost comparison.

Below, 4 trade fair cost calculators are presented, which relate to selected economic sectors. Please select the trade fair cost calculator which best applies to your company.

Further points to notice:

1. The larger the company, the higher the costs/m².

2. The larger the fair stand the higher the costs/m². The range extends from 25 m² .

3. As an exhibitor, you have the opportunity within each cost factor to influence the costs of your trade fair participation through suitable measures. The given absolute and percentage figures are the average figures collected.

4. In the study, it was also clear that the share of stand rental per square metre of stand sinks with rising company and stand size, whereas the share of stand construction as well as communication and service costs increases. Thus the share of stand construction and design costs for companies with up to nine employees was 24%, for companies with over 2,500 employees it was 43%. Stands under 25 m² had a stand construction share of 21%, for stands over 250 m² the figure was 46%.

5. The share of personnel and travel costs per m² stand sinks significantly with increasing stand size, whereas it only declines slightly with increasing company size.

Information about the Trade Fair Cost Calculator
(Contact us for futher details)

Stand space:
The average stand size in Germany is around 40m². In combination with the designation of the kind of trade fair participation, you can obtain a fast overview of the trade fair costs;

Basic costs:
The basic costs include stand rental as well as energy supplies. These and other cost factors are part of overall costs of a trade fair participation.

International investment goods fair
Regional investment goods fairs

Standard values:
By clicking on standard values you can again have the average calculated cost for your type of event displayed.

Overall costs:

Basic costs
Costs of stand construction/furnishing and design plus depreciations
Costs of stand service and communication
Costs for transport, handling and waste disposal
Personnel/Travel costs
Other costs

Procedures and time schedule

All preparations must be fixed in a correct sequence.

Note must be taken of the organizer’s closing date for registrations.

The determination of the company’s own exhibition programme is just as much a part of this as the planning of the communication and supporting programme.

Selection of exhibits

A concentration on the key products and services is necessary in order not to confuse the visitor.

The objective must be to demonstrate problem-solving competence and not all variants of the spectrum of products and services. The selected exhibits should represent an invitation to communicate.

Registration and organizational preparations

For the conduct of the trade fair participation, a wide range of services is available, from stand constructor via freight forwarders right through to interpreters.

As a rule, the organizer provides information about them.

Fair stand

The fair stand should be impressive without appearing ostentatious, be inviting without being obtrusive and seem modest without looking poor.

Through its architecture, the trade fair stand should provide a positive setting for rational and motivating information.

Stand personnel

Competent stand personnel ensures the success of a trade fair participation.

The more motivated, informed and qualified the stand personnel, the better the chances for numerous and intensive business contacts.

Public relations and communication

Through public relations and advertising, the trade fair companies create a broad resonance in the media and thus reach potential visitors. The organizer can only advertise for the fair as a whole, however. Each individual exhibitor must inform his respective target group about his stand and the range he is exhibiting in advance of the event.

Follow-up and monitoring success

As there are still numerous companies which fail to define their participation in concrete terms prior to the event, substantial potential for the optimal exploitation of a trade fair participation is left unused. Unfortunately, the monitoring of trade fair success cannot be taken for granted, although it serves the purpose of assessing the participation and the decision as to whether participation at the next event makes sense. Anyone who fails to define participation objectives cannot measure his success.

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