Has anyone attended a trade show as a buyer?

[bettythebuilder]

If so can I pick your brains please? (ikky phrase, sorry )

I'm exhibiting at a trade show this weekend, and I have a few little niggly questions-

When you attend a trade show, do you usually place orders there and then, or take details to look at later?

If you do place orders, if it's a new supplier do you pay there and then? If so how? Or do you place order then expect a call a few days later to sort out payment (eg by credit card over the phone)?

Do show offers (eg discount or extra goods for placing an order at the show) make you more likely to place an order?

ta in advance for help!

bump!

Depends on what you're selling I would think betty. I went a few times with work & we would mainly look at different suppliers to the ones we were using that would possibly give us better prices, quicker delivery etc. & would take away brochures & maybe samples. Some of the suppliers would take our details & would then call a few days later hoping to arrange a visit.
Hope this helps.

I'd never bought anything there and then at a trade show, but my parents used to run a mail-order toy company, and they would regularly place most of their orders at the shows - there were just too many companies to deal with otherwise.

So I suppose the answer is, it depends. You could ring the marketing dept of the show though, they should know what's normal for their shows and be able to help.

thank you, john and von () I'm asking out of optimism, as there is of course a chance that no-one will want to buy anything (lets hope not!)

The products are cards/gifts, so have a low trade price (and I have a low minimum order quantity) so i'm hoping visitors will be tempted to place a small order at the show to give them a go.
I've printed leaflets and order forms for visitors to take away, and I'll try to take as many details as poss.

Good idea about getting in touch with the show marketing dept, thanks.