How Do Trade Shows Benefit Magazines?

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, July 15, 2000 by Bob Moseley

Trade shows leverage brand. Along with providing readers direct contact with vendors, opportunities for advertisers and educational training, they also help drive revenues

Frank Cutitta

International managing director

IDG Global Solutions

Events--trade shows, conferences, seminars, executive forums--benefit magazines by strengthening the publication's community, introducing advertisers to an ever-increasing spectrum of new marketing opportunities, and building stronger relationships with--and value from--the publication.

Yet one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of events is the ability for the magazine's advertisers to meet the readers--the actual buyers, decision-makers and purchase influencers. This helps the reader become more "real" to marketers who are targeting this audience, moving the readership from the dry stuff of circulation statements and media kits to a relationship that vividly displays the connection the publication has with its audience and the power of its brand.

Greg Parish

Vice president, general manager

Shoreline Creations

Our company publishes two magazines--Group Tour Magazine and Group Travel Lift styles--that reach a subscriber base of just over 20,000 group travel professionals. Our magazines act as catalogs or reference guides for our readership, while our shows help bring the process to life, offering our readers personal contact with top travel-industry vendors. Both parties benefit from this, since the tour planning professionals get to know the vendors' products much better and do business in person. Those vendors who are not current customers often become advertisers when they see what an impact we can make on their group business.

But there's more: We learn from these group tour professionals, spot industry trends and build alliances. Our trade shows also provide educational and training seminars to participants, something we can't really provide in our publications.

In other words, we use our trade shows to contribute to the overall growth of the industry while learning how to better position our products and services.

Roger Case

President, Krause Publications

Trade shows provide an excellent opportunity for us to get closer to the communities we serve. They can be like intensive workshops for our staffs to see and hear firsthand what is driving our communities and what changes are on the horizon. That information comes back to the office and helps us fine-tune the magazines to their audiences.

Our magazines are all about bringing special-interest audiences together with the vendors of goods and services of those interests. Our trade shows provide a very synergetic way to accomplish the same thing. They enhance our relationships with advertisers by giving them another opportunity to expand their business. We can bring advertisers face-to-face with customers and new prospects.

Paul Mackler

CEO, CommerceConnect Media

Trade shows and business publications have always had a strong symbiotic relationship. They support and complement each other in many ways. Publications provide added value to readers by reporting on the myriad new products and services introduced at shows. Reporters and editors have access to a broad spectrum of key industry stakeholders during the exhibition, as well as during the many social and educational functions hosted at trade events. Trade shows typically make sponsorship opportunities available to publications, which act as brand builders, providing added exposure to readers and advertisers.

Trade shows also help drive revenues for publishers through pre-show, at-show and post-show issues, show dailies and special advertising inserts. Conversely, publications offer a host of benefits to trade shows. Publications are highly targeted and effective advertising vehicles, and are an important element of a show's overall marketing program. Publications provide shows with access to readers through the availability of subscriber lists and generate sales leads through their prospect lists. Leveraging a strong magazine brand, industry knowledge and contacts all play a key role in influencing the competitive positioning of industry events.