Distributor and end-user trade show attendance objectives: An opportunity for adaptive selling

The United States woodworking machinery industry can most easily be described as a fragmented mature industry. In order to increase market reach and efficiency of distribution, many woodworking machinery manufacturers have turned to independent channel intermediaries to sell their products. Trade shows have been identified as a major marketing tool throughout the forest products and machinery industries for reaching current and potential customers. However, in order to be effective, show selling must satisfy the information seeking and procurement needs of attendees. This paperprovides a comparison of distributor and end-user attendance objectives preceding and following the 1996 International Woodworking and Furniture Supply Fair (IWF '96) held in Atlanta, Ga. Distributor and end-user perspectives are studied in terms of the importance of their trade show attendance objectives (measured before the show), and the perceived success of the show in achieving these objectives (measured after the show). For trade show exhibitors, the effectiveness of trade show efforts can be enhanced through a better understanding of buyer behavior in order to devise a more focused approach to selling that is best adapted to each type of attendee. The results of this study provide evidence of significant differences in buying and non-buying objectives between channel intermediaries and end-use customers.