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NAGASA’s Trade Show Committee:
Making Shows More Valuable to Members
“We look forward to better understanding and promoting the relationship between large and small manufacturers and dealers and show managers.”
Gene Alaura, Trade Show Committee co-chair
NAGASA recognizes the importance of trade shows to its members and wants to develop long-term, productive working relationships with trade show managers to better serve members. One-quarter of NAGASA’s 150-dealer members and one-third of the 170-manufacturer
members regularly exhibit at trade shows. In 1997, NAGASA dealers spent nearly $1 million exhibiting at trade shows. As a result, trade show concerns are near the top of the association’s agenda each year, particularly among smallmanufacturers and dealers.
To provide a more valuable service to dealer and manufacturer members, NAGASA formed a Trade Show Committee in 1995 to coordinate its efforts. Jack Maltby of Jomac, Inc. and Gene Alaura of Olec Corporation serve as co-chairs of the group. Fifteen members serve on the committee.
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Trade show concerns are near the top of the association's agenda each year, particularly among small manufacturers and dealers.
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Since its inception, the committee has taken several strong steps to benefit its membership. Gene Alaura commented on the progress of the committee: “After numerous meetings with committee members and show managers, we have progressed to the point of having the NAGASA Pavilion at Graphics of the Americas in Miami, and other show managers are interested in doing the same with us,” he said. “We look forward to better understanding and promoting the relationship between large and small manufacturers and dealers and show managers. This can only be successful, however, if NAGASA members complete show assessments and keep us informed about what they would like to see at the shows.”
The Trade Show Committee developed three key objectives for its work:
The first objective is to inform trade show managers on the needs of the NAGASA membership and the unique perspective and dynamics of distribution and the dealer-manufacturer relationship at trade shows. The committee also plans to develop programs for manufacturers (particularly firms less than $10 million) and cooperative dealer-manufacturer efforts to maximize trade show dollars, lead generation, and sales. Lastly, the committee wants to support member decision-making to help assess and select trade shows.
The Trade Show Committee developed the NAGASA Trade Show Cooperative Initiative to provide a win-win approach for NAGASA members and trade show managers. Here is the program:
Show Assessment
NAGASA has instituted an assessment of trade shows by exhibiting members for select regional and national shows. The purpose of the assessment is to provide members (and most importantly, trade show managers) an independent look at the shows. Survey results help members look at how their firms’ show dollars are spent and provides show managers ideas on ways to improve their shows. Results of trade show surveys will be available at the NAGASA web site www.nagasa.org. NAGASA’s goal is to have all exhibiting members complete assessments after each show.
Networking
An open exchange of ideas is an important element of the work of the Trade Show Committee. Through its committee work and ongoing seminar and roundtable series, members have a valuable opportunity to network and relate their opportunities and problems. The association seeks to facilitate the discussion so the end results are constructive recommendations and solutions, rather than finger-pointing and carping.
The NAGASA Pavilion
At select trade shows, NAGASA will coordinate with show management to set up a NAGASA Pavilion. The first effort will be at Graphics of the Americas ’99 in January. To date, 11 NAGASA member firms have signed up for the Pavilion. The goal is a cooperative effort to find cost efficiencies such as joint interpreters and marketing effectiveness through common promotional efforts.
Resources
NAGASA continues to develop resources for its members and the industry about trade show exhibiting. In 1998 we plan to publish a Model Manufacturer-Dealer/Reseller Cooperative Trade Show Agreement and the second edition of the Trade Show Directory. The directory will include a targeted list of approximately 15 trade shows in Canada, Mexico and the United States with backgroundinformation on each show. The shows listed in the directory will be the trade shows assessed by NAGASA. In addition, the directory will contain information and resources on effective trade show exhibition and booth management.
Training
NAGASA provides training and development programs about making sound trade show decisions, manufacturer and dealer cooperative relationships, effective show management and set-up, and promoting and prospecting at shows. These programs are offered in a number of ways, including at the breakfast roundtable series with Dealer Communicator, annual meetings, and various regional seminars.
If you would like to get involved on the Trade Show Committee or would like more information call NAGASA at 202-328-8441 or see us on the web site at www.nagasa.org.
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The
Compass || Summer
1998