T here is a trend towards B2B trade fairs in Japan but it is only gradual Despite the continuing absence of much of a trade fair culture there are things ex hibitors can do to win business from Japan ese customers Attracting visitors Depending on the size of the company Japanese exhibitors may invest a lot of mon ey in advertising including print media on line and transport advertising They also make intensive use of their networks of cus tomers and contacts and send out a lot of in vitations An important criterion for trade fair organisers and Japanese less so internation al exhibitors when measuring the success of a trade fair is the number of visitors it at tracts both trade visitors and consumers These numbers are not controlled independ ently In order to arrange meetings interna tional exhibitors should allow appointments to be booked through their websites They can then send free tickets to customers and visitors Stand design The stand should be open and inviting and have as few enclosed spaces as possible for meetings There should be plenty of Japan ese language brochures available at the in formation counter Some signs in Japanese such as Importer business partner wanted or Trade fair premiere are good for catch ing the eye and facilitating initial contact with Japanese visitors In addition to Ger man foreign staff at the stand including Japanese speaking staff if at all possible it is essential to have Japanese hostesses inter preters They make it easier to make contact and communicate with Japanese visitors and can also help complete questionnaires and arrange any appointments to visit Japanese companies Visitor interests What trade fair visitors want varies greatly from person to person Trade visitors look for specific information and samples while con sumers are interested in new products They want to taste or test them and perhaps even take them home as gifts or if they can get them for a good price The Japanese love comics in the manga style and anime anima tions and these are becoming increasingly popular with foreigners as well Even if a trade fair has nothing to do with these di rectly they go down well with most visitors and attract attention Many visitors are also interested in foreign countries Posters and typical products from an exhibitor s home country will attract more visitors to a stand Decision making processes It is still true that it is generally new or junior employees who go to trade fairs in order to collect information and samples for their su periors These employees have little experi ence of business or trade fairs only have lim ited scope to talk business and do not have the authority to place orders On the other hand Japanese companies have learned that they need to take quicker decisions in order to hold their own against Asian and other competitors in global markets Avoiding clangers It is advisable to avoid personal and business questions that the visitor is probably unable or unwilling to answer spontaneously You should also never press them for clear an swers On the other hand you should give satisfactory answers to any questions they may have It is helpful to point out that the exhibitor would be happy to answer further questions at a later date and send in depth information Following up after a trade fair It is very important to follow up well after trade fairs although for foreign companies without representation in Japan it is often a protracted laborious process Custom mail ings in Japanese are helpful It is even better when foreign exhibitors do not fly off again immediately after the fair They should stay on in Japan for a few days to follow up on any initial contacts made business cards re ceived It may also be possible to make fur ther appointments with some companies This can generally be arranged without prob lems by using interpreters Most Japanese companies are happy to welcome business visitors from abroad However it is essential to use a competent interpreter for these vis its This is how foreign visitors can gain ac cess to the middle managers of a Japanese company And the more staff who take part the more interest there is Heinz Kuhlmann has four decades of experi ence in the Japanese trade fair market and also advises foreign trade fair organisers and exhibitors 66 TradeFairs Internation al 2 2016 Expert Heinz Kuhlmann President ABC Enterprises Inc Tokyo Contact heinzku abcenterprises jp TFI KNOW HOW What helps to bring success at Japanese trade fairs Internationale Luftfahrtindus trie Messe in Tokio Japan Interna tional Aerospace Exhibition in Tokyo Ph ot o B ig S ig ht

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