The Value of Trade Shows

We didn’t always exhibit at industrial trade shows.  To be honest, we didn’t invest much time or money in trade shows, even as attendees.  That all changed when we officially took the step from being a job-shop to manufacturing our own product…retention knobs.  The first year, we more or less dipped our toe into the water of some smaller, local shows.  We didn’t have much in the line of show “assets”; no real display, just some colorful informational hand-outs, and the knobs.  We adapted and evolved with each show, learning that you don’t have to take everything including the kitchen sink, instead, taking what exposure taught us was the important stuff.  We think we look pretty darned professional now when we hit the show floor.

Sometimes it’s really hard to determine if the time, money and efforts of being an exhibitor are paying off.  But sometimes, you know you hit a home-run.  Sometimes you get a message from a fellow exhibitor with whom you chatted or gave some product, and you know your efforts have been rewarded.   Aaron from Swiftcarb sent our sales team such a message.  Here’s an excerpt that sure validates our efforts:  “…On the second day of the show, we switched out the standard retention knobs that we were using, for JM's High Torque Retention knobs. There was an immediately noticeable change in the pitch of the machining operation, and all 4 of us, with our hands on the machine, could feel the difference in the smoothness of the machining sound. After the part finished, we were also able to notice a smoother wall finish on the part than we were previously getting, and we have no doubt that if given the time, there would have been an increase in tool life as well.“