Final tips before tackling the international trade show Sial Paris 2016
The last tips before leaving for the Sial Paris international trade show
After having selected the food companies that will be part of the export group that will visit the Sial Paris 2016 international trade show, it is time for the final preparations. With less than a week to go before the start of this international trade fair, all the companies already have agendas of contacts interested in their products and those they will be able to meet during their next visit to the neighbouring country.
The mixture of excitement and nervousness is palpable and it is time to pack. We have organised the last joint meeting before taking off on this new international adventure. At the headquarters of the Regional Council of Maresme they have received great institutional support, which is fundamental in helping to promote our products.
What to bear in mind for a good international trade show?
– Hotel: choosing a good hotel is essential. It is advisable to book it in advance, as on the dates of the international trade show they are usually at full capacity and the prices go up a lot. The criteria, apart from price and comfort, should be related to the distance to the trade show. Booking a hotel close to the trade exhibition will reduce the level of fatigue and meetings within the fairgrounds. This will create an atmosphere of greater proximity and trust, strengthening personal ties.
– Flights: as with hotels, so with flights. It is advisable to book them in advance in order to get the best possible combinations at the best prices.
– Promotional documentation: Prepare well in advance the printing of brochures, fact sheets, leaflets and price lists to make sure you arrive on time.
– Contacts during the trade shows: Prepare a contact book to staple your business cards in so that you can take notes of relevant comments. We need to keep all the contacts we have made and that will allow us to carry out effective post-fair actions, commercially speaking. To do this, it is important not to forget to bring stapler/s to ensure that we do not lose any of our contacts’ business cards.
– Agenda: before setting the agenda and the different meetings that we will have during the days of the international trade show, it is necessary to visit the website of the international fair and its maps in order to prepare the route and the interviews that we want to hold, confirming that we will have time to arrive punctually to the different appointments.
– Key pavilions: apart from the agenda of meetings you have agreed at the international trade show, do not hesitate to study the exhibition’s floor plan to detect the pavilions of interest in terms of sector trends. And don’t leave the fair without having visited them. You are sure to learn a lot and get ideas for new projects for your company.
– Invitations: before the trade show, invite your clients and potential clients to visit your stand to show them your products, innovations and international involvement. Send the invitations in time to schedule the visits and be able to give them the time they deserve.
– Samples: consider the possibility of travelling with samples that can be presented during the interviews.
– Trolley (suitcase with wheels) to comfortably carry the documentation and samples that we will be collecting from the different stands. You will be more comfortable than carrying a suitcase that at the end of the day will weigh more than you imagined.
– Clothing: appropriate for the occasion. Analyse whether it is a sector that usually wears a suit or a more casual dress and try to dress according to the sector. Don’t forget to wear comfortable shoes, as at the end of the day you will have walked a lot on a heavy surface, such as the exhibition carpet.
We hope these tips will help you in your attendance/visit to your next international trade show.