he golden rule of marketing is to not miss a single opportunity. Your participation in a trade fair can connect you with both existing and future customers and collaboration partners and is an important arena for the ocean industries. So let us have a look at how you can work with your communication plan before, during and after a trade fair. - See more at: http://blogs.oceanhub.com/how-to-extend-the-benefits-of-trade-fairs/#sthash.2ImpbJy3.dpuf

1. How to extend the benefits of Trade Fairs
NOV 20, 2014 08:47:23 (GMT+1)
BY EXPERT:
MALIN HEMMINGSSON
Tips on communication strategies for industry professionals during trade fairs
The golden rule of marketing is to not miss a single opportunity. Your participation in a trade fair can
connect you with both existing and future customers and collaboration partners and is an important arena
for the ocean industries. So let us have a look at how you can work with your communication plan before,
during and after a trade fair.
What are your goals for the event?
Most likely, you attend the event to “mark your territory”, to make sure people learn about your company
and what you can offer your customers, that your competitors cannot. So goal number one is to be more
visible in the industry and get as much exposure as you can to gain the full value of your days at the event.
Write a short story and ensure to make it visible so that people find out beforehand that you are attending
and why they should come to your stand and do business with you. Do you have a new product to launch?
Are you hiring, and thus focusing on your employees, and want to communicate that your company is the
best place to work? Will you be holding any presentations or seminars? Write an article about it and
publish it on every platform that is available to you, your website, social media accounts or newsletters.
Innovation is key in the ocean industries, and to stay on top of your game and show your presense by
communicating frequently is something that can bring you from being one exhibitor, to being the exhibitor
to visit at a trade fair.
During the event
This is the time to focus on the actual fair and the people you want to connect with, but what many are
missing is that this also is a golden opportunity to create news around your activities at the event, and

2. make them visible online for everyone attending, as well as for the rest of the world. It is a few intense
days with a lot of activity and interest around your company, so why not use that potential
and further make sure your online profile is as innovative as you are as a company. Make sure people find
out about competitions you are holding, post pictures and short video stories, write a short news story for
your website or any portal you can use, to reap the benefits of the excitement that is built up when so many
industry professionals are gathered in one location.
Post trade fair
Now you want to follow up with the people you have connected with during the days of the event. It is
time to generate business. However, a lot of companies miss out on a chance to keep their contacts
interested in what they can deliver. This is an excellent opportunity to build credibility by publishing a
blog story. Have one of your engineers write a story about problems and solutions you can manage with
the products or expertise that your company possesses. Think about your core competencies and how you
can use your staff to make yourself known as a solid player in the industry. This way you give your
engineers, product developers or consultants a chance to shine, and your company a chance to show off the
skills and knowledge that are at the core of your brand. Publish news about your successes and
accomplishments at the event. Showing your excitement and engagement about the people you interacted
with, telling stories about the interest shown from the visitors at your stand, and publishing pictures,
certifies your future business partners that you are excited about new opportunities. Make sure to update
your website to ensure that potential or existing customers have enough information to trust your company
as a business partner going forward, and use all your available online portals to ensure a good return on
investment. After all, at the end of the day we all want to know that we did all we could to continue
our success going forward.
- See more at: http://blogs.oceanhub.com/how-to-extend-the-benefits-of-trade-fairs/