Not for your competitors... They'd love to get a look at your new product ideas. And guess what... they will probably be the only ones who will even take the time to visit your booth.

So where have all the buyers gone, you ask?


Well for those of you who don't remember, there was a time when there were literally thousands of Mom & Pop stores, as well as hundreds regional and national chains who were successfully doing business in every city and town from coast to coast.
Back in the day, there may not have been a better way to meet more local, regional and even national buyers, then to exhibit at a trade show. Ah yes, those were the good old days. A time when the showroom floor was a target rich environment that was filled with exciting opportunities.

But then the retail world shrunk!

Now the industry is controlled by 2-3 merchandising giants within every major buying category (Office Products, Electronics, Home Improvements, Drug Chains, Arts & Crafts). Depending on the trade show you attend, you might only have 3 or 4 buyers at that show, who can make your hopes of landing a deal or even just recouping your cost to exhibit a reality.

The problem is that spotting one of those buyers on the showroom floor, is a lot like getting a glimpse of a rare bird in the middle of the forest. Not only do these buyers rarely even walk the showroom floors anymore… if they do it’s with their name tags turned backwards! The trade show for them is more of a company paid social gathering, then a search to find new products. It would only be wishful to hope that they would be coming by your booth to give you the 15 minutes of one-on-one time you were hoping for... Don't fool yourself into thinking that they go from booth to booth looking for the next million dollar idea, because it’s just not happening! More times than not, they've already made next season's product assortment selections long before that show even started. So I say save your money!

The only people you might actually get to speak with at a trade show, will be those who are only interested in picking your brain and stealing your ideas. They will look and sound like a new friend, but trust me when I say that their only motive is to see if you have anything that they can add into their own assortment.

If you want to get your product considered by a Big Box Retailer, you had better be prepared to pick up the phone and call them directly or better yet... hire someone who can effectively do it for you.