Guide to Tradeshows | For Sale By Inventor

One efficient way to get your presentation to the right people We coordinate trade show attendance for our clients, because we’ve seen the success that can be attained there. It’s an imporant part of the marketing process and requires some experience and savvy to be successful there. Just being there isn’t enough to be noticed, you have to have a memorable presence and be able to quickly communicate your competitive advantage to seemingly mildly interested patrons. In general, there are three different types of Trade Shows, which are:

Consumer Trade Shows

Consumer Trade Shows like the Auto Show, Boat Show and Home & Garden Show that travel around the country that anyone can pay the admission to attend. These shows are for local distributors and retailers to promote sales to consumers. Inventor Tip: Being prepared with the right promo items at a tradeshow can leave a lasting memory in the right person’s mind. Remember, trade show attendees only need so many tote bags and beverage coolers! Invention Trade Shows Invention Trade Shows are where inventors can exhibit their inventions in hopes of attracting a manufacturer. Booth space is somewhat expensive. Clients who have attended invention-only trade shows have reported some level of dissatisfaction. Attendance is open to the public.

Industrial Trade Shows

Industrial Trade Shows represent specific industries most of them having at least one national trade show held in a major city each year with smaller regional trade shows held throughout the country. Industry trade shows are usually sponsored by a trade association. Attendance is restricted to trade professionals and booths are sold to companies with products to sell to distributors and retailers. For Sale By Inventor is represented at the Industrial Trade Shows by Ad-Gen and not at Consumer or at Invention Trade Shows. For Sale By Inventor’s goals at the Industrial Trade Shows are to:

Renew industry contacts
Develop new contacts
Learn about current trends
When possible, discuss client patent pending products.

There is no charge for trade show attendance services because For Sale By Inventor and Ad-Gen attend these shows institutionally for the benefit of all our clients, as well as for the benefit of For Sale By Inventor. A list of scheduled Industrial Trade Shows is available.

Popular Tradeshows

APPMA Pet Products Trade Show The APPMA Show is the international marketplace for the pet products industry. When you attend the APPMA Show you will find 600 exhibitors in 1,500 booths. 90% of the pet products manufactured in the United States are represented at the Show. Professional pet product buyers from more than 60 countries come to the APPMA Show to find the world’s most innovative products all in one location. Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo At no other show will you find as many qualified buyers and sellers from all segments of the automotive aftermarket. Last year, nearly 70,000* visitors from every corner of the global automotive aftermarket attended AAPEX, 31,000* of them were buyers with purchasing power. Over 1,700 exhibitors participate in AAPEX, the Automotive Aftermarket Event of the Year! SEMA International Tire Expo SEMA Show runs concurrently with the AAPEX Show including additional manufacturers of automotive aftermarket parts, tires, accessories and equipment for the specialty equipment, performance, racing, import and general automotive markets. National Hardware & Building Products Expo The premier event in the world for hardware, lawn & garden, building, and home improvement manufacturers, producers, distributors, independent representatives, retailers and marketers. Virtually everything imaginable in the building and home improvement trades is available. The National Hardware Show is the largest trade show of any type. International Juvenile Products Show The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, Inc. is a national trade organization of more than 400 companies in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. These companies manufacture and/or import infant products such as cribs, car seats, strollers, bedding, and a wide range of accessories and decorative items targeted to infant and pre-schoolers. International Housewares Show The International Housewares Show is the world’s largest housewares marketplace, showcasing thousands of new products and designs for the home and garden. American International Gift Fair The New York International Gift Fair is the premier gift and decorative accessories market in the United States. This semi-annual event fills 638,000 net square feet, including the entire Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and the Passenger Ship Terminal. The 45,000 national and international attendees are drawn from major retail outlets, specialty retailers, distributors, catalog companies and others. There are more than 2,900 firms exhibiting in eleven major merchandise sections of the Fair, including international sponsored groups representing Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Guatemala, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Poland, Canadian Province of Quebec, South Africa, Thailand and United Kingdom. Licensing International Exhibitors and attendees from all over the world meet to grant and acquire the rights to transform a sports team logo, character, trademark, brand or design into a retail phenomenon. Variety Merchandise Show The VARIETY MERCHANDISE SHOW (ASD/AMD) was introduced in 1949 as the first trade show to offer a one stop shopping opportunity in the general merchandise industry. Popular and effective, VMS is back in New York City at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center to maximize your show experience! Exhibitors of the Variety Merchandise Show are national and international prime source suppliers: wholesalers, distributors, and manufacturers of general and variety merchandise. Attendees of the Variety Merchandise Show range from volume buying syndicates to owners of small independent retail shops, and everything in between. VMS will feature thousands of products in 150 merchandise categories. The NAMM Show Sponsored by International Music Products Association, the NAMM Show has everything from accordions to zithers. Miles of aisles feature the newest, state-of-the-art music products, as well established classics and hot, up-and-coming innovations—all under one roof! The NAMM Show is attended by more than 65,000 registrants packing the aisles of the Anaheim Convention Center to check out the latest gear. The show is a star studded event with endorsing musicians such as Carlos Santana, Sheila E., Stevie Wonder, Dweezil Zappa, Keanu Reeves and Korn, adding to the spectacle as they pose for pictures and talk shop with show attendees. From CBS to CNN and E! Entertainment Television, Journalists from throughout the world come to cover the new instruments unveiled. Lawn & Garden Marketing and Distribution Association (LGMDA) represents distributors and manufacturers of lawn and garden goods throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico and is an influential force within the lawn and garden industry. The Association has guided many companies for almost 30 years during many periods of change and uncertainty. Their goal is to further the growth and profitability of all segments of the lawn and garden industry through the promotion of Distributor and Manufacturer partnerships. This 33rd annual trade show is for LGMDA members only and for retailers by member invitation only.