A 365-day trade show. People-relationships-technology

Certainly, when many people hear ‘trade fair’, they think of exhibition booths. But should trade meetings be limited to the exhibition itself, which lasts for two or three days? No, it should not. The trade fair is also an extensive accompanying programme – numerous training sessions, workshops and presentations with experts, often offered at the ticket price, webinars during which specialists share their knowledge, podcasts covering the most current topics in many fields, seminars, conferences, congresses and gala events accompanying the trade fair. These represent relations built over 365 days.

Omnichannel, that is multichannel

I had no idea that organising a trade fair is so complicated! This is one of the phrases most frequently repeated by new employees. The days when it was enough to make a phone call and buy a printed advertisement to inform about an event and arouse the interest of exhibitors and visitors are long gone. Preparing a trade show requires meticulous identification and research of the target group, getting to know its needs, defining key messages, setting objectives, developing an effective strategy, optimising the campaign, selecting the most effective outreach channels, establishing relationships with sponsors and opinion leaders and maintaining constant contact with the industry. The pandemic has accelerated the inevitable – digitalisation, without which it is difficult to imagine an efficiently functioning enterprise, has taken up residence at the Targi w Krakowie Sp. z o.o. for good. The figures speak for themselves. In 2021 alone, the Company organised 16 online conferences, recorded the podcast ‘Packaging Innovations. Packaged Talks.’, was invited to participate in the premiere edition of the Fair Television of the International Book Fair in Krakow® and replaced printed catalogues with electronic ones.

Aware of the ever-increasing importance of video on the Internet, Targi w Krakowie Sp. z o.o. is focusing more strongly on the production of video materials showing not only the course of events, but also preparations for trade fairs. What else? 160 newsletter campaigns sent out, content generation and management of over 20 websites, 15 actively maintained Facebook pages, profiles on Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter, numerous online campaigns based on channels such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads and LinkedIn Ads. By analysing and optimising information about events organised by Targi w Krakowie Sp. z o.o. with the help of digital marketing tools, we reach an increasingly wide range of users and, most importantly, the groups most interested in a given subject.

Numbers are not everything

One of the key factors in building the competitive advantage of Targi w Krakowie Sp. z o.o. is caring for the positive emotions of customers at every stage of their purchase path. We can say that a whole group of people – salespeople, marketers, PR specialists, graphic designers, technical service, cleaning and parking staff – work together to create the positive experience of one person. Each activity undertaken by the customer has an impact on the final perception of the brand – from visiting the website through telephone contact to participation in the trade fair. How a company is perceived often determines further relations. Since its foundation, that is for over 26 years, Targi w Krakowie Sp. z o.o. has been gaining the trust of hundreds of entrepreneurs who eagerly return to the events. 'In their statements, Exhibitors repeatedly stressed that they felt looked after at every stage of cooperation. The trust built up over the years brings positive results, because thanks to our care for the customer experience, companies willingly choose the events organised by us,' emphasises Grażyna Grabowska, President of the board of Targi w Krakowie Sp. z o. o. 'The last two pandemic years were a kind of test of the bonds built with customers. There was a risk that, because we could not organise events, they might forget about us. This has not happened. Thanks to the deep relationships and the possibilities offered by technology, clients not only stayed with us, but throughout the most difficult time shared their knowledge and experience through online conferences or podcasts we organised. This makes it easier for us to plan stationary events again, because we know that customers are waiting for them,' she adds.

To sum up, we can say that thanks to the use of numerous channels of communication and the skilful combination of individual forms of promotion, our trade fairs are becoming one of the most effective tools for building lasting business relations. This potential is appreciated by exhibitors who, in addition to making use of the current offer of the trade fair, engage in co-operation that results in numerous publications on current problems and trends in particular industries.