Northstar

FEATURE www.travelweeklyweb.com What about Asia? The relevance and opportunities to discover new products and places come out tops when it comes to the pull factors for agents. "The flexibility of air transfers and flight routes are a plus points here for us in Asia, which makes us more receptive to travel further to attend trade events that are relevant to our work. However, sometimes participants may not be drawn by long travelling hours. Trade events held within Asia is more focused to the market needs, such as the ITB Asia, which targets a different pool from ITB Berlin," said Karuna Chung, Hong Kong-based outbound travel agent, from Wing Travel. The combination of placing a jam-packed conference and business meetings line-up may be pushing it a little. While giving a variety of options may seem ideal, having more than what meets the eye may not always be a good thing. An overcrowded schedule may leave the participant feeling like they have yet to maximise their attendance, having not tried as much as they would love to. The main focus should always go back to the purpose of seeking to grow your services, get connected with useful business prospects and bring back a thing or two from the conferences or talks that may be worth your time. "Exploring business opportunities, networking with tourism stakeholders and keeping abreast of latest industry developments are always top on the agenda of any travel trade show attendee. However it is easy to get distracted or overwhelmed by the simultaneous list of high profile speakers, panels and discussion groups that leading travel trade shows offer alongside the main convention. Effectively making the most of a travel trade event attendance requires preshow work, staying focused yet flexible to new opportunities during visit, and diligent post show follow ups, said Anthony Chan, managing director, Chan Brothers Group. Elements of surprise From a seller's point of view, how can you shine from the rest in a sea of booths to capture the right business opportunity and target? Here's an example of what works, when one is left to think out of the box and maximise the next best option which turns out, to be the better than expected. A service provider was late to apply for a booth at a major trade show but not one to be disheartened over a setback, the company made use of other marketable ideas, such as having walking mascots to deliver the key message of their services, which works on a different level of interaction with the attendees. Colourful uniforms also serve as an ice breaker and it also helps that these walking sellers came in prepared with tablets loaded with presentations. The company developed almost 30 new leads and engaged with 200 new prospects at the event. Online content as post-event source of contact Keeping in touch is crucial in the event that a deal may not be sealed as quickly during that 15 minute networking session that you have during a trade show. Terrapinn Ltd for example, is actively churning out stories and updates via their BlueSky or LinkedIn platform, creating that relationship with those who have attended their event the previous year, and establishing newer contacts who may be keen to attend the next show. Videos and twitter updates help to increase brand recall, form points of discussion and identify latest trends, feedback and reviews within the industry. Participants would also like to keep tabs on the talks they attended, the people they met and the best way to reach this information is through online content associated with the programme they had signed up for. Around 56 per cent of respondents highlighted that it is important for them to have access to these information, compared to 32 per cent who would rather prefer to have them ready during the event, and not after. Only seventeen per cent feedback that prior information, before the trade event is not as important. So it pays to know your audience and to keep tabs on what they want to hear and get from you even after the show. There are many ways of marketing a travel trade event. The three or four-day trade shows, along with enhanced online tools that accompany them, allow for that few days to last even longer, with the connections and follow-ups made from the traditional meetings between buyers and sellers. The travel industry is after all, one that brings people together, to meet and to discover. In a world where webinars, skyping or teleconferencing persist, inadvertently, people need to experience to remember, to feel in a visceral way, what a destination and a tourism experience is all about. Why travel trade events are worth your penny 1. Provides you a reason to form, recreate or strengthen business relationships Like your social media platforms, "liking" a person's post or "following" him or her doesn't make the person your real friend. The same goes for trade shows. Sending an email or making a phone call are ways to form that point of contact to introduce a travel product or places, but inviting these potential business partners to an event and meeting them in person is a different thing altogether. 2. A chance to meet travel companies and tourism boards along with destination marketing groups under one roof or even booth A road show or a travel trade event format is one of the best ways to join forces with the biggest and most influential names to elevate your marketing message. 3. Reinforces your brand identity and messaging Tourism trade shows and road shows demonstrate to your trade partners that you are investing in their markets and creating consumer demand. In the coming issue... We take a look at the various reservation systems for both big hotel brands and independent chains. www.travelweeklyweb.com SEPTEMBER 2013 | TRAVELWEEKLY ASIA ■ | 5

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