Functions of trade fairs has changed and is still changing: now they represent a main on-par opportunity of personal encounter between buyers and sellers, potential partners. A meeting on neutral grounds.
This personal encounter is the advantage which gives the real attraction of the trade fairs. First meeting with a potential customer, inviting existing customers, joy of the reunion, celebration of this meeting are the factors contributing to a good show. This joyful contest, record-probe is a daily practice at a show.
A few trade shows possess with additional features like agricultural and food relevant almost exclusively for exhibitions and give way to put all 5 senses to work: tasting, cooking contests, breed animal evaluation, contests. Here it is a concentration of 3-dimension events resulting in strong personal emotional experience as well.
Often said is that visitors do not remember exactly what has been said at the booth but more how they have been received by the exhibitor. This is why trade fairs are excellent tools of marketing - simply to give information is possible without personal encounters as well – on DVDs or via Internet.
The other exceptional feature is that exhibitions provide ways (more, there is the demand) to get to know needs, opinions, argumentations, motivations of the visitors, customers and thus enabling exhibitors to react, move accordingly. To know what is to be offered, to be developed, what the customers really need – the 360 degree marketing tool.