Even in the present digital age, personal exchange at trade fairs such as Interzoo (7-10 May 2024 in Nuremberg) remains the preferred setting for developing and expanding business partnerships. In this context, a high quota of decision-makers at trade fairs is of decisive importance for the successful conclusion of business deals.
As a social being, people are constantly looking for personal contact, trusted exchange and genuine acquaintance. Applied to the trade fair industry, this social pattern can be expressed in a simple formula: Business is best done in person, trusting partnerships are started by getting to know each other face-to-face. Accordingly, physical trade fairs remain highly popular, because they enable unfiltered personal networking, seeing, feeling and exploring products.
The success of a trade fair participation is not only based on preparing the trade fair presence in time (>Advice for trade fair preparation), but also on the quota of decision-makers on site. Numerous market research and surveys by the German Association of the Trade Fair Industry (AUMA) attribute the economic strength of Germany as a trade fair location to the high number of decision-makers at trade fairs in Germany. In this regard, Interzoo as the world's leading trade fair for the pet industry records top values: 93 percent of visitors at Interzoo 2022 were decision-makers or involved in purchasing and procurement decisions in their company1.
This strong presence of decision-makers significantly facilitates the business process and makes it easier for all trade fair participants to conduct specific negotiations on products, prices and delivery terms. This speeds up business deals and increases the chances of successful partnerships. In addition, the presence of decision-makers at trade fairs promotes effective and high-quality networking. In the pet industry, Interzoo is the world's most important event for building and deepening relationships with key players in the industry. Face-to-face meetings with decision-makers facilitate the exchange of ideas, the identification of common interests, the development of long-term collaborations and the promotion of trends and innovations. Interzoo takes the latter into account with the Fresh Ideas Stage for innovative products and services.
Previously published in the editorial series "Number of the Month":
- On the importance of networking for post-fair business
- On the importance of visitor quality for a successful trade fair participation
[1] All figures in the Interzoo event analysis have been approved by the FKM, the Society for Voluntary Control of Fair and Exhibition Statistics.
