Observations from the trade show floor reveal how U.S. firms are boosting sales without leaving home.

President Obama has asked government and the private sector to work together during the next five years to double the value of U.S. exports and create millions of jobs here at home. Many U.S. companies, especially smaller ones, would love to double their international sales as part of the National Export Initiative, but wonder-how?

One way is to attend a trade show right here in the U.S.  Every year hundreds of trade shows are held from coast to coast. Favorite trade show cities include Las Vegas, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles and many others.

Many shows attract tens of thousands of buyers from all over the world. So, if you want to make international sales without leaving the U.S., consider shows with the most international visitors. One of them is the National Association of Broadcasters, or NAB. Americans don’t need a passport to get to Las Vegas, where the show is held every year, but comfortable shoes are required.  

There were nearly 83,000 visitors to the show in 2010, and almost 24,000 were from 156 countries-a veritable United Nations. If you want to make that first international sale, or sell to more buyers in more countries, consider making trade shows in your industry a smart business development strategy. International buyers love U.S. trade shows, and they come from far and wide with long shopping lists.

According to a buyer from a Philippines TV station, “I had a lot of equipment on my list. We’re going to buy new and interesting stuff for our facilities.” When asked why he didn’t purchase from German or Chinese producers, he said simply, “Particularly, I’m interested in American equipment, that’s why.”




 

Many countries, one roof

“Big domestic shows with lots of international visitors are very cost effective. Everyone is under one roof, so you don’t have to run up costs flying from one country or continent to another,” says Duane Grahovec, who like other American exhibitors at trade shows held in the U.S. have seen their international sales balloon to more than 50 percent of total revenue. One U.S. exhibitor at the recent NAB show stated that he sells his products in 70 countries, producing annual revenue of $70 million. Another had sales in 120 countries, prompting some head scratching about what few countries are left to sell to.

Companies with a passion for exporting understand that the national economy needs to shift from consumption of imports to making more things here that global consumers want to buy. But, such passion needs someone to help meet reliable buyers, and chief among these helpers at many U.S. trade shows is matchmaker-in-chief, the U.S. Commercial Service.

The Commercial Service has offices in more than 70 countries including the Philippines, where Na Capitayan recruits buyers to come to U.S. trade shows. “I’ve been with the Commercial Service for 13 years. We bring trusted buyers and sellers together. This is what we do. This is what we are good at.”

Capitayan and her colleagues are good at many things, and one is planning for the more than 30 U.S. trade shows they support each year. The effort is called the International Buyer Program (IBP). Planning starts long before the shows and generally consists of these steps:



Step One: Recruiting U.S. companies

U.S. Commercial Service trade specialists at Export Assistance Centers throughout the U.S. promote the shows to companies in relevant industries. Trade shows are selected for the IBP on a competitive basis. If the products seem right for international buyers, and the U.S. company passes muster on the export capability index, they are invited to join.



Step Two: Provide companies with market research

Trade specialists provide the U.S. company representatives with market research on the countries and industries that will be represented at the show. The research is conducted by industry experts at U.S. embassies. They can also perform customized research for the U.S. company at a modest cost. One exhibitor at the NAB show purchased this research for a few hundred dollars, which led to sales of $1.8 million. “[The Commercial Service] has earned the trust I have in them,” he declared.



Step Three: Sellers get information on the buyers, and buyers get information on the sellers in the export interest directory

The show organizers gather buyer and seller contact information prior to the show and provide show registrants with emails, Web sites and phone numbers. This allows buyers to look at product catalogs before they arrive at the show.



Step Four: Sellers send information to buyers, and buyers map out who they want to meet and make appointments

At some shows, buyers can make appointments with vendors online before leaving their country. U.S. embassy personnel help buyers in their countries map the show floor, which may have over 1000 exhibitors. Buyers peruse product literature, plan side trips within the U.S., and get help applying for their U.S. visas. One buyer for a cable TV provider in Cairo, Egypt, described the whole process as giving him and his company “credibility” in the eyes of U.S. suppliers. “This program is a great, great help, especially for people like me from parts of the world-the Middle East-where there might not be much interest from U.S. suppliers.”

For information about upcoming trade shows and the many resources offered by the U.S. Commercial Service, visit www.export.gov or call (800) 872-8732. wt



Doug Barry is an international trade specialist in the Department of Commerce’s Trade Information Center.