A trade show, also known as a trade fair, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an organized event at which companies in a particular industry showcase and demonstrate products and services, meet customers and industry partners, assess competitors, and examine market trends and opportunities.
In contrast to consumer shows, only some trade shows are open to the public, while others can only be attended by company representatives (members of the trade, e.g. professionals) and members of the press. Therefore trade shows are classified as either "public" or "trade only". A few shows are hybrids of the two; one example is the Frankfurt Book Fair, which is trade only for its first three days and open to the general public on its final two days. They are held on a continuing basis in virtually all markets and normally attract companies from around the globe. For example, in the U.S., there are currently over 10,000CIC Economic Significance Study Executive Summary p.5 http://www.conventionindustry.org/ResearchInfo/EconomicSignificanceStudy/ESSExecSummary.aspx trade shows held every year, and several online directories have been established to help organizers, attendees, and marketers identify appropriate events.
History Modern trade shows follow in the tradition of trade fairs established in late medieval Europe such as the Champagne fairs or the Skåne Market, in the era of merchant capitalism. In this era, produce and craft producers visited towns for trading fairs, to sell and showcase products. These markets were held annually or on several specific days a year, usually at geographically particularly favorable locations and in conjunction with a religious festival in order to benefit from the rush of the public. The tradition of fairs taking place in spring and autumn has been preserved in some cases until today. From the late eighteenth century, industrial exhibitions in Europe and North America became more common reflecting the technological dynamism of the Industrial Revolution.
In the late 19th century, the concept of annual industry-wide trade shows gained traction, spreading from European manufacturing centers to North America. By the 20th century, specialized companies came into existence simply to manage the trade-show industry, and permanent trade show grounds or convention centres were established as venues that featured a rotating calendar of trade shows.
In the 21st century, with the rapid industrialization of Asia, trade shows and exhibitions are now commonplace throughout the Asian continent, with China dominating the exhibitions industry in Asia, accounting for more than 55 per cent of all space sold in the region in 2011.
Use
Trade shows play important roles in marketing as well as business networking in market sectors that use them. People will seek to meet people and companies at their own level in the supply chain, as well as potential suppliers and potential buyers.
Generally there will be a central trade show floor with booths where people exhibit their goods or services, and throughout the day there will be seminars for continuing education on matters relevant to the industry, like best practices, trends, and regulation. There will also be some shared meals with keynote speakers, and social events in the evenings. Booths range from simple tables to elaborate constructions.
Trade shows often involve a considerable investment in time and money by participating companies. The planning includes arranging meetings with other attendees beforehand and resources to follow up on opportunities that are created at the show. Costs include space rental, booth design and construction of trade show displays, telecommunications, travel, accommodations, and promotional literature and items to give to attendees.
In addition, costs are incurred at the show for services such as electrical, booth cleaning, internet services, and drayage (also known as material handling). This local spending on logistics leads cities to promote trade shows as a means of local economic development, as well as providing opportunities for local businesses to grow, and attracting new businesses.
List of major venues
# Ground City Country Indoor floor area Outdoor floor area 1 Hanover Fairground Hanover 2 World Market Center Las Vegas Las Vegas 22,300 m2 (240,000 sq ft) 3 Messe Frankfurt Frankfurt 4 Fira de Barcelona Barcelona 5 Fiera Milano Milan 6 Canton Fair Complex Guangzhou 7 Yashobhoomi Delhi 8 Las Vegas Convention Center Winchester, Nevada (Las Vegas) 9 Koelnmesse Cologne 10 Messe Düsseldorf Düsseldorf 11 McCormick Place Chicago 12 Parc des Expositions de Villepinte Paris 13 Paris expo Porte de Versailles 14 Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Taipei 15 Feria de Madrid IFEMA Madrid 16 National Exhibition Centre Solihull, UK 17 Messe München Munich 18 Messe Nürnberg Nuremberg 19 Messe Berlin Berlin 20Bilbao Exhibition CentreBarakaldo150,000 m2 (1,614,586 sq ft)
List of major trade shows
+ Fairs with a published attendance of more than 50,000 Title Description Dates Location Visitors AgQuip Agriculture August 22–24, 2017 Gunnedah, New South Wales, 100,000 approximately in 2005 AI Expo Taiwan Artificial intelligence March 25, 2026 Taipei Expo Park, Taipei, 50,000 approximately in 2025ANUGAFood and beverageOctober 7–11, 2017 Koelnmesse, 165,000 approximately in 2017 Arab Health Healthcare January 24, 2022 - January 27, 2022 Dubai World Trade Centre, 58,028 in 2022arabhealthonline.com Automechanika Automotive aftermarket September 13–17, 2016 Messe Frankfurt, 136,000 BAUMA Construction April 8–17, 2019 Munich, 620,000 in 2019 Beef Australia Beef May (triennially) Rockhampton, 90,000 in 2015Zonca, Craig Organisers claim big success at Rockhampton beef expo , Queensland Country Hour, ABC Rural, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 8 May 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2017. Berlin Music Week Music September 3–7, 2014 Berlin, 70,000 in 2012 Bologna Motor Show Auto show December 3–11, 2016 Bologna, 450,000 in 2013:it:Motor Show boot Düsseldorf Boats January 21–29, 2017 Messe Düsseldorf, 267,379 in 2008International Machine Tool Exhibition (BIEMH)Machine toolBiennialBilbao, 39,063 in 2026 Buenos Aires International Book Fair Books April 27 – May 15, 2017 Buenos Aires, 1,240,000 in 2008The Fair was a success and they are already working for 2009 , Clarin, May 13, 2008 Cairo International Book Fair Books January 27, 2017 - February 10, 2017 Cairo, 2,000,000 in 2007 Canton Fair Consumer and industry products Spring session: April 15–19 (Phase 1); April 23–27 (Phase 2); May 1–5 (Phase 3). (111th Session)