Trade Fair..can you advise me??

[Funkyhand]

Hi everyone
I design and produce my own backing papers on CD Rom. I am thinking of getting a stand at the large trade fair at the NEC next Feb. I have all the application forms etc but I am a Trade fair virgin! Does anyone out there have any advise about showing at one?
I have so many questions but the organiser has not returned any of my calls (which I think is a bit rude to say the least!) I just don't want to spend loads of money and then mess it all up by not having the first clue what I am doing!!
Thanks for any help
Anice x

[SteveG]

Hmmm, I thought I posted a relevant question here.. but I cant see it... I must be going mad!

An issue you may want to investigate is insurance. You MAY require some kind of liability insurance if its not covered by the event organisers. I am not sure on this, but it might come in very useful if a rogue CD flips out of a case and decapitates a member of the public.

Good luck!

[liz15a]

Hi,

I attended this particular trade fair this year and whilst it was very good for looking at new products available and seeing some of them demonstrated, I was overall VERY disappointed with the customer service element of the companies there. No-one was forthcoming with information about themselves, or questions about my business, or telling me why I would want to buy from them over everyone else. They should have been falling over themselves trying to get my business - after all, I would be spending thousands of pounds a year with them. Furthermore, the ones that did take my company information have never got back to me after the event! Complete madness!

It will be very expensive for your stand, so you should make sure you do come away will some customers/orders!

All I would say is approach everyone who comes to the stand and try and get their custom! Make sure you have sorted out your policies regarding mimimum orders, your trade and retail prices, delivery charges, backorder policy etc etc as these are the sort of things people would want to know. Do you sell only to trade or do you also sell direct to the public too? Have some sort of form that potential businesses can fill out for you to contact them after vetting them (assuming you would be doing this).

A lot of the companies allowed you to place large orders on the day for significant discounts, so thats another thing to bear in mind.

Keep pestering the organisers - they are all a nightmare to get in touch with. I would try phoning them, you may never get a reply to an Email!

Hope something in that lot helps a bit.....

[Funkyhand]

Finally a response from the organisers!

Thank you for your replies. Hurrah! the trade fair organiser has finally called me back and I have to say was really really helpful. I have prebooked my exhibition space so its all go now I suppose getting things organised!
How exciting this all is..much better than my old managers job!!!
Anice x

[SteveG]

Good luck with your show

[Angel Crafts]

Good luck, let me know what stand you will be on, and i will come and say hi

[Funkyhand]

Angela
I will do that..I will probably be happy to see a friendly face!!
Anice

[chris_shawn100]

My suggest is you can attend some show first.
So that you can see how the other people make their show in the fair.
You can learn from them and improve...

[jakwyn]

Hi Funkyhand

Good luck with your trade show. We haven't done a big one yet but we did attend a show over the bank holiday which insisted that we public liability insurance of £2million.

We sell jewellery and evening bags the quotes we were receiving for the insurance were staggering (I never realised handbags were considered that dangerous). A good friend of mine suggested we join National Market Traders Federation it is £75 a year and includes Public Liability Insurance of up to £5million. We had left it really late to organise this and they were brilliant, we paid by debit card and the certificate of insurance was with us the next day. Their telephone number is 01226 749021
Let us know how your show goes.

Julie-Ann (Jakwyn)

[Funkyhand]

Hi Julie Ann
Public Liability insurance has been the thorn in my side this week! I design and then sell craft papers on CD Rom and quotes I was recieving were, the worst of them., £355 for 1million cover! I have found another one which was much less in the end and gone with that but the problem seems to be that the insurance companies just don't have craft designers in their lists so they wont cover. Update your lists I say and get more business!!!
Anice x