Rob Carter: Be part of the Angling International LIVE matchmaking service

Angling International owner Rob Carter writes: So, after almost one thousand phone calls in two months, and an equal number of emails, what have we learned about tackle businesses like yours and their needs from a European trade show in 2024?

Well, above all, you need a matchmaking service. Now, that might seem obvious, but more than ever right now, we are hearing that time is tight for both suppliers and buyers. Moreover, in a world of online noise, the options for new business partners can be overwhelming.

There is undoubtedly a time at trade shows to get together with old friends, to talk about the big issues of the day or to casually browse new products. But the message we are receiving right now is, if you are going to commit to a three-day event, it needs to pay off.

So here is the good news. Face-to-face meetings at Angling International LIVE are your short-cut to sales agreements. Why? Because we have been pre-registering buyers earlier than before and, when we have spoken to them, we have been asking those visitors exactly what products and brands they will be looking for in September.

Likewise, because we are promising free space to exhibitors as part of their booth packages, our editors have been talking to those suppliers about their brands, their new products and their target markets – to make their free articles in our pages meaningful and relevant.

Believe me, a whole lot of work is going on behind the scenes right now to gather essential information on the suppliers and buyers intent on gathering in Budapest, so that we can put you together to have serious sales meetings in the hall. Time is tight and there is a lot of noise, so we are going to change that for you in September.

Actually, we are going to change that for you long before September. From next month in fact, when we will launch a matchmaking service on the Angling International LIVE website. Using that online service, buyers will be able to find exhibitors supplying what they need and then make appointments well in advance of the show.

We will continue to use our magazine pages, website and e-blasts, together with our soon-to-be-launched social media platforms dedicated to the show, but the message to tackle suppliers is this: if you are smart and book a booth early with sufficient details about your products and target markets, then you can fill your show schedule with appointments long before you set foot in Budapest.

And if we can not make it happen online, ask our team directly about what we know about buyers interested in your products. Those phone calls and emails are worth something, you know. We are talking to your potential customers daily.

We launched Angling International LIVE with the tagline ‘Connecting the tackle trade in Europe’. We also promised our exhibitors that we would be delivering a six-month marketing solution, not just a three-day show.

And those connections will happen like never before. Some potential exhibitors have asked who else will be there with a booth, but respectfully, that is the wrong question. Ask instead, can you make business matches for me? Can you find me new customers that are primed to buy? The answer to those questions is, yes. Yes, if you book a booth, tell us about your objectives and give details about your products.

Trade shows are ideal for getting together, but this year we have a lazer-targeted focus on finding you business matches. Start working with us and we will start working for you.