Trade Show Websites Provide Inventors A Wealth Of Information and Potential Contacts, By April Mitchell
MOST INDUSTRIES have trade shows, and those shows have event websites. These sites often list past exhibitors, or the list of companies planning on attending the upcoming show.
This is a huge resource for inventors wanting to license their product!
For example, on the Toy Fair New York website, you can click on the Exhibitor List, Featured Exhibitors, Categories (the exhibitors broken down into their categories) and Floor Plan—where you can see where each exhibitor’s booth will be at the show.
With just a few clicks, an inventor can see a list of thousands of toy or game companies that are attending the upcoming show.
But it doesn’t stop there. When you click on a company name, the basic information about the company—address, phone number, website, etc.—appears. The website link takes you directly to the company website where you can explore the company’s products and more about it.
Looking for a match
If attending a show, you will want to know which companies are exhibiting so you can try to set up meetings. By looking at the exhibitor list and going to the company’s website to do research, you will quickly learn whether the company is a fit for your product.
You will see if it makes products out of the same material from which your product should be made. You will quickly see who its audience or customer is, and the price range of its products.
Once you find out these things, you can look further online to see where its products are being sold. Is it selling at mass retail?
This research will help you learn if its products are sold solely online or at brick-andmortar retailers, as well as which ones.
Once you have identified whether a company is a good fit for your product, you can learn the best ways to contact it and find out if it
is interested in the kind of outside innovation you provide.
Sometimes, websites share information on people in key roles at the company. You can request to connect with people from the company on LinkedIn and write them a quick message. You may also consider calling the corporate phone number and asking for the person in marketing, sales or product development that was indicated on the website.
Companies may indicate if they accept submissions from inventors or designers—and if so, how to go about submitting them. If there are instructions on how to do so, follow them and connect with people from the company online.
It is always a good idea to connect with people from the company, even if they direct you to submit through a portal or email a specific email. You want to have someone you can follow up with down the road.
The exhibitor list is very valuable and useful even if you do not plan on attending a show. Either way, exhibitor lists help you learn whether a company could be a fit for your product.
If you see that potential, you can set up a Zoom meeting or email your submissions if the company prefers the latter. Whenever possible, I like to meet companies in person or via Zoom. It’s a great way to establish or grow a relationship. But I don’t like to push it.
Preparing the exhibitor list
I like to print the exhibitor list alphabetically, so I can have the full list. I then underline the companies with which I want to meet. I email companies a calendar link that allows them to select a date and time to meet at the show. If I don’t have their email address, I send them a note on LinkedIn asking to meet with me. If I am not connected online, I may even call them. If I don’t get ahold of anyone, I will add it to my schedule to stop by to meet them. My goal then is to establish a relationship and set up a meeting to
present new concepts to them after the show