How Trade Shows Can Build Customer Relationships and Help Grow Business

Trade shows are an important aspect of marketing and selling. They offer you a platform to market to your customers, meet with vendors and gain educational expertise on trending topics. Employees also benefit from this out of the office experience by supporting your brand and engaging with attendees to help earn new business.

Last week, Rymax was one of over 400 businesses to attend and exhibit at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas. Global Gaming Expo, known by industry insiders as G2E, is the largest trade show of its kind; bringing together the global, commercial and tribal gaming communities in one place to network and grow leads, learn more about important topics trending within the industry, and showcase the latest innovations in gaming through on-site product demonstrations.

One of the most popular topics discussed at G2E this year was technology in sports betting. This topic can range anywhere from mobile betting to facial recognition when playing a game. Digital gaming also allows players a chance to gamble at any time of the day or night. 

What does this mean for the gaming industry? Mobile betting will attract an entirely new customer base for casinos and the introduction of facial recognition means casinos will require new technology, including enhanced security measurements, in order to compete in the marketplace.  What does this mean for Rymax? Our sales team is staying on top of current gaming trends that could affect our casino customer base.

Trade Shows Help Build Relationships

Aside from G2E, the Rymax teams attend and exhibit at many trade shows throughout the year to speak with prospective customers, gain valuable knowledge, enhance important vendor relationships and investigate the competition. Meeting a business prospect face-to-face allows for direct conversation to market a company’s products in front of their potential buyers in a single place. Trade shows provide a direct access point to buyers in a way no other marketing strategy can, in a casual yet professional setting.

Often times, you may also see your competitors at the industry specific trade shows you attend. At first, this might sound intimidating. However, businesses often beta test their new products or software at these events in order to conduct research and gather feedback in advance of a launch. Investigating the competition and staying abreast of the market puts you ahead of what your competition plans to unveil.

Trade Show Marketing

Trade Show marketing can involve many departments in the selling process and assist in creating brand ambassadors for your company. Should you choose to exhibit, IT/tech employees will have a chance to launch software and conduct technology demonstrations,  Marketing and PR teams will find themselves pitching editorial, conducting interviews and promoting the company with live blogging and social media efforts onsite, and Sales representatives will be prospecting new customers and expanding existing relationships with in-person networking and pitching strategies. This type of targeted marketing and onsite networking revitalizes employees and gives them the opportunity to promote or sell your company and how they add value to your business.

Rymax believes in diversified marketing coverage and supporting the sales process with both trade show attendance and exhibiting opportunities.  While not all trade shows are a fit, we can consider this year’s G2E a success for our gaming sales team.

When planning your 2020 strategy, be sure to incorporate trade shows and keep in mind the key benefits that they can bring to enhancing relationships within your business and assisting in lead generation. From networking and learning more about hot topics and trends, to researching what other businesses in the industry are doing, many trade shows can bring value to your overall business strategy and can help grow your company’s bottom line.

Contact us today to learn more about the upcoming trade shows Rymax is attending.