Attending a trade show as a vendor has its advantages since you can instantly connect with thousands of potential resellers looking for the type of products that you carry. In addition, being able to tell prospective customers that you are participating will give you an air of credibility.
If you are a buyer the advantages are numerous, from being able to inspect in person the newest products being introduced into the retail business, to being able to negotiate better pricing for the merchandise that interests you, to being able to network with retailers who can share with you valuable ideas and leads. A wholesaler at the ASD/AMD Las Vegas convention will be very motivated to make a deal to sell his clothing pallets since he has to cover the costs associated with him being there.
The downside is the cost for both buyers and sellers. The cost of travelling, renting space, buying a display, staying at a hotel, can quickly escalate making any potential sales unprofitable unless they are substantial or lead towards repeat purchases. The same applies to a buyer with the exception of renting a booth and paying for the cost of material used for the presentation.
I would personally recommend maximizing your use of the Internet to locate wholesale sources, as well as retailers to sell to. You can utilize niche search engines such as WholesaleCentral.com, CloseoutCentral.com, WholesaleDir.com, TopTenWholesale.com, Worldwidebrands.com, and MyLocalWholesaler.com. These search engines are actually wholesale directories that provide access to suppliers and marketing opportunities for vendors looking to reach prospective clients. I once attended an exhibition geared towards the closeout industry at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. In addition to it being a good opportunity to see the merchandise carried by other wholesale dealers, I was also able to gage the demand for products which I can then opt to carry in my wholesale warehouse.
There is another important business reason for attending a convention as well, and that is simply to step outside of your business and see what is happening in the trenches of your industry. Unless you are constantly monitoring the changing fashion trends in your market you won’t know which product categories to avoid, and which product lines to carry in your boutique.
