Trade fairs and events
Exhibitors renew on their own, until one year they don't come back
Organisers of trade fairs, congresses and B2B events live on exhibitors and sponsors. The historic ones return every edition, and sales are concentrated in the months before the event. When an important exhibitor skips a year, the space must be filled quickly, and nobody works the pool of new companies.
The starting point
The challenges we meet most often
Challenges 1
Ageing exhibitor base
Long-standing exhibitors are loyal but don't grow. New ones arrive in small numbers, and usually alone.
Challenges 2
Sales All in the Last Few Months
Spaces and sponsorships are sold close to the event, with the team under pressure and few levers on price.
Challenges 3
Hard to prove the return
The exhibitor wants to know how many useful contacts they will take home. Without data and concrete cases, renewal becomes a negotiation over square metres.
The method in the industry
How we work in this industry
We build lists of companies that are the ideal exhibitor profile but do not take part, or take part in competing fairs abroad. We use as triggers product launches, the opening of new markets and a direct competitor’s presence at the fair. The message goes to the marketing or sales director and carries concrete data on the visitors in their industry. The work starts many months before the event, so that selling the space isn’t squeezed into the last few weeks.
Who we talk to
Marketing Director
They hold the events budget and have to justify it. They want to know what kind of visitors they meet and how many useful contacts they bring home.
Sales Director or Export Manager
Uses trade fairs to meet clients and distributors. Interested in where visitors come from and in organised meetings.
Entrepreneur
In SMEs they decide whether to take part. They look at total cost, stand, travel and staff, and the return from the last edition.
The objection we hear most often
«Exhibitors already know the fair exists; if they don't come, it's because they don't want to.»
They often don’t come because no one has ever explained what they would find there. Knowing a trade fair exists is different from knowing how many buyers in your own industry pass through it. A message with that figure, sent to the person who holds the budget, changes many decisions.
Case studies
The method in this industry
Recommended services
The channels we use here
Cold Email
Email campaigns personalised message by message, aimed at the final decision-maker, on lists defined on your market and with a custom-built infrastructure.
Discover the service →
Lead Research
Tailor-made B2B lists from our proprietary database of over 3 million Italian contacts, with the right decision-makers, verified emails, direct phone numbers and enriched data.
Discover the service →
Frequently asked questions
Questions about the industry
How to find new exhibitors for a B2B trade fair?
Starting from companies that exhibit at competing fairs or that should exhibit for their market, and contacting marketing and sales directors with concrete visitor data. The work must start many months in advance.
Does outbound work for selling corporate event sponsorships?
It works if the sponsor understands what they get: visibility with a specific audience, meetings, content. The message has to be built for their industry and their goal, not with the price list of the packages.
How do you convince an exhibitor to come back after a disappointing edition?
With a discussion of why it went badly and a concrete proposal for the next edition, for example pre-booked meetings with selected buyers. It is the part where the event organiser can make the most difference.
Your market is in the industry trade fairs and events? Let's talk.
In the Feasibility Study we tell you honestly whether it makes sense to get started in your industry, and how.