Am I ready to attend an overseas event?

Many of the clients we meet come to us because of the ‘fear’ of venturing overseas – it’s quite a daunting prospect taking a business that you are passionate about and testing your business model against a whole new set of cultural behaviours, logistical challenges and market conditions.

If you’ve taken the plunge to exhibit overseas, you’ve probably examined in great detail the country into which you are venturing and probably considered if there is an alternative entry strategy such as e-commerce. You probably also understand who your competitors are, how local culture affects your product or service delivery and do I have a strong enough cash-flow position to supplement any increased business as a result of your newest international venture.

What many UK companies do not consider when attending overseas exhibitions is the lead time involved in preparing a successful international event presence. Not only is your product subject to cultural differences – so is the way that you work when pulling the components together for a successful exhibition.

As in any field, there is a varying amount of quality and serviceability and more importantly the lead time to make things happens varies greatly from market to market. In what is an extremely competitive yet potentially high-value project, service providers constantly look to economise their projects – something which may be of detriment to your overall project.

The reality is – your event costs are significant, and you’ve spent a considerable amount of time to become knowledgable about the local market, trading conditions and economies.

So why gamble?

There is not a truer saying in exhibitions than ‘first impressions count’ and if done poorly, your potential companies will remember you as the company that cut corners.

The message is dedicate time to getting it right – appoint quality contractors creating relationships with longevity.

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Topics: Advertising, Export Concept, Export Planning, Export Process, Getting Started, Insights & Statistics, and Trade Fairs
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