List of core questions of choosing exhibition

To decide whether you need to participate at the exhibiton especially if you have a big stand you need to answer several questions. Consider that preparation of the leading exhibitions starts from 6 to 10 month before the beginning.

If the total place of exhibition increases or decreases every year? How is it explained by Organizers?
What is the type of exhibition?
How many years have exhibition been helding? What will be new this year? Is it helding for the first time?
Is the period of time convenient? Aren't other big exhibitions helding at the same time in capital or next city? Will company be able to participate at 2 exhibitions at the same time? What exhibition can be a competitor? Why?
Doesn’t time of exhibition correspond to big holidays or events that can distract authorities, media and visitors?
Is the place of exhibition famous for clients? What is the average size of stands on the last exhibition?

Sometimes you can get this information from catalogue or web-site of exposition. Usually, the more big stands presented on the exhibition, the more prestigious the exhibition itself.

Is the advertising campaign of the exhibition held among professional audience? Can you request the plan of campaign with the names of magazines, newspapers, audio and video commercials, direct mailing addresses, web-sites?

What leaders of the market participated and continue to participate at the exhibition? Whether the competitors participate at the exhibition? If not, why?

Is the exhibition visited by leaders of industry, local, regional or country authorities, international deligations?

Are there any seminars, conferences, master-classess, hands-on held? Are they organized by well-known specialists of the industry?

Is there any time reserved for specialists only (days, hours)?

How is the exhibition characterized by participants? What probles did they meet? Service? Presence of specialists? Problems with organizers?

Who (position, speciality) visited the last exhibitions? Some organizers provide detailed data, but you have to be careful and check this information with the real participants of the last exhibition. At western countries you can trust those exhibitions that are controled by special institutes of statistics.

What was press writing about results of last exhibition? What can you find on the web-site? Maybe good results were published by participants who took part free of charge only? Please note, that public press may not find anything interesting at the exhibition. In this case it's better to read specialized press.

Is it possible to reach the same targets using other methods? How much will it cost?

types of exhibitors (including leaders of the market and competitors);
advantages of exhibition, including appropriate place and size of stand;
cost of participating;
impossibility to reach targets by other methods (not exhibitions).

Source: http://www.expomar.ru