Trade fairs are important platforms for personal exchange, building trust and making new contacts. At the same time, trade fairs have changed over the years. This can also be seen at the Hannover Messe, which took place in April this year. Employees from the CADENAS sales teams were on site for several days. In numerous discussions with manufacturers from various industries, one thing became clear: despite the approximately 110,000 visitors quoted by the organizer, the trade fair seemed quieter overall than in previous years. This impression is also confirmed by a historical comparison. In 2019, before the pandemic, the trade fair recorded around 215,000 visitors from all over the world.
Trade fairs remain relevant
For the CADENAS sales team, the conclusion is mixed: Leading trade fairs such as the Hannover Messe continue to offer an important framework for personal, in-depth discussions with companies from Germany and abroad. Especially for complex topics that require explanation, physical presence is an advantage and remains a decisive factor for many manufacturers. However, the discussions showed time and again that a trade fair presence alone is often no longer sufficient today. Global competitive pressure is increasing, the race for digital visibility is accelerating noticeably and, at the same time, the high costs of a trade fair presence are often no longer in proportion to the actual benefits.
Digital visibility as a complement to physical presence
Manufacturers from China, India and the USA in particular are consistently driving forward their digital transformation and systematically expanding their international visibility. Europe is lagging behind in this development. For manufacturers, this means one thing above all: those who present products exclusively via traditional trade fair formats today are increasingly only reaching markets and decision-makers to a limited extent. In order to remain competitive, it is therefore becoming increasingly important to secure visibility and market access digitally beyond the trade fair format. Digital solutions such as the
eCATALOG 3Dfindit support manufacturers in making their products accessible all year round, even beyond the trade fair. As a result, they benefit from greater visibility and qualified leads through downloads.
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