Major Trade Show Displays - Where to go, What to See

Added: 02/27/2006

Trade shows cover a wide range of subject matter; interior design, wedding dresses and kitchen sets are just a few. Trade shows and exhibitions are organized by companies in a specific industry field with the aim of showcasing and demonstrating their new services and products and attracting more customers. While the majority of trade shows are open to the public, some of them can be attended by members of the trade and members of press only. Currently there exist over 2,500 trade show displays in the United States alone, most of them being annual events.

The majority of trade show displays are one-day events, open to interested professionals and customers alike. Generally they include organization or company booths, where major technologies, products and services are demonstrated; lectures and talks, and gathering of people with common interests. Depending on their orientation and designation, there exist computer product shows, book expos, toy fairs and music trade show displays among a variety of others.

One of a few major trade show displays in toy industry, the American International Toy Fair is an annual event, held in New York City's Toy District, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, and is supported by the Toy Industry Association. It is claimed to be the largest trade show display in the Western Hemisphere, attracting nearly 1,500 distributors, manufacturers and sales agents from 30 countries worldwide as of 2006.

While the Javits exhibits feature displays and demonstrations in the open trade show setting, the showrooms at the toy district provide the customers with the opportunity to consult with sales representatives in a quieter setting. Interconnected by the upper story walkways, the buildings contain a number of relatively small showrooms from major toy manufacturers. Available at the American International Toy Fair are current lines and products under development, including games and puzzles, dolls and action figures, bicycles, radio-controlled vehicles, trains, cars and trucks, video and audio cassettes, sporting and playground equipment, video games and computer software, books, party supplies, infant and preschool toys and much more. The 2007 American International Toy Fair is scheduled for February 11-14.

Enjoying a wide popularity with authors, booksellers, educators, librarians and book lovers, Book Expo America, commonly referred to as BEA, is recognized as the largest annual book trade show in the United States. It is usually arranged in a major city, running from late May to early June. BEA features almost all significant and influential book publishers in the nation, and a large number from abroad, who consider the show to be a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate upcoming titles, communicate with colleagues from other publishing houses, sell current books and buy international rights.

With over 2,000 exhibits, nearly 500 authors and 80 conference sessions in addition to a special area for rights business, visitors are offered the latest titles in all major genres and a variety of hidden gems to be discovered. The 2006 Book Expo America will take place in Washington DC., followed by trade show displays in New York City and Los Angeles in 2007 and 2008 respectively.

Held annually in October in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, the Frankfurt Book Fair is the largest trade show for books in the world, organized by the German Publishers and Booksellers Association. Annually this five-day event attracts more than 6,700 exhibitors and 270,000 visitors from all over the world, who come to obtain information concerning the publishing market, to do business and to network. The Frankfurt Book Fair is an event of great importance for publishers, booksellers, agents, librarians, film producers, artists, academics, trade and professional associations and software and multimedia suppliers.

Rate this article:

Bad

Good

Article comments:

No comments for this article yet. Post your comment now!

Return to top of the page