Japanese attendee objectives for building products trade shows: A cross-national comparison

Trade shows have been identified as a major marketing tool for the forest products industry to target and communicate with current and potential customers. In order to reach these customers effectively, exhibitor messages at trade shows must satisfy visitor needs. This paper examines Japanese attendees' attendance objectives at the 1999 National Association of Home Builders International Builders' Show (NAHB IBS) in Dallas, Texas, held January 15 to 19, 1999, and the 1998 Japan Home Show (JHS) in Tokyo, Japan, held October 23 to 27, 1998. In the Spring of 1999, questionnaires were mailed to all 602 Japanese attendees of the 1999 NAHB IBS, resulting in an adjusted response rate of 35 percent (n = 190). Japanese respondents were studied in terms of the importance of their trade show attendance objectives, and the perceived success of these shows in achieving the objectives. In addition, this study compares and contrasts the Japanese attendees' use of a domestic (Japanese) building products trade show versus an overseas (U.S.) show. Key findings indicate that non-buying objectives were more important than buying activities for Japanese attendees at both the 1999 NAHB IBS and the 1998 JHS.