🌎 Which trade show is right for you and your Amazon business?

Which trade show is right for you and your Amazon business?
By Kristin Ostrander

A few weeks ago we @Mommy Income announced our new Confident Wholesale Bundlers Workshop lineup for 2019 with 3 locations!

• Atlanta, Georgia in January
• Lansing, Michigan in March 
• Columbus, Ohio in August

This workshop is a great way to take your Amazon FBA business to a new and advanced level. We will work hand in hand in a classroom style setting then hit the ground running with a guided trade show walkthrough. Trade shows vary greatly in size, product offering and location.

So how do you know which trade show is right for you?

Deciding on which trade show to attend is a matter of preference. Here are some of my insights from attending many trade shows locations over the last 10 years which will help decide which location is right for you!

Different shows offer different types of experiences.
Which show you choose should fit your personal comfort level, budget and schedule.

In Atlanta, we will be attending America’s Mart Gift and Home Show. This facility is open year round and hosts both temporary and permanent vendors. They host large “shows” and markets throughout the year amongst 3 different buildings nearly 18 stories high that are full of permanent and temporary wholesale distributors. This type of trade show has a shopping mall type feeling and everything is displayed beautifully just like you were in a real store. You walk the floor entering and exiting each vendor just as you would in the mall. It is very sophisticated, easy and fun shopping style experience. Most vendors have the majority of their products on display so you can see, touch and feel the quality of the products. It is extremely well organized and easy to navigate with the detailed maps they provide for you. The downside is the sheer size of the Mart. Trade shows with permanent showrooms like this are often some of the largest marketplaces in the world. They are busy and often attract thousands of international and local buyers. If you tend to get easily overwhelmed and intimidated by large crowds and too much visual stimulation this may not be the place for you to start. If you are energized but hustle and bustle and love to shop this is perfect place for you.

The Lansing Gift Show and the Columbus Marketplace are a very different experience. These shows have plenty to offer as far as product variety and number of vendors but it is on a much smaller scale. This type of show is a “pop-up” or a temporary trade show. During a temporary show vendors come to the facility and set up booths for several days while buyers come and meet with them. They set up many of their products but may not have their full line of offerings available at the show. There are plenty of products on display for you to examine for quality, size and value.Temporary shows are often held in large convention centers and have hundreds of vendors instead of thousands like the permanent shows. Smaller shows can often be navigated in one full day leaving you with more than enough product ideas, potential accounts and catalogs. I could work on the catalogs from a small show for almost a full year. This type of show is for those who want a smaller more manageable experience. With a smaller show there will be less intimidation and smaller crowds. A trade show like this will keep things simple so you have less overwhelm and less information to sort through. If you struggle with wanting to try “everything” a smaller show will help you stay focused simply because there is less to be distracted by.

Knowing your own personality is the key to choosing which show is right for you. If you know that you have anxiety with large crowds and information overload choosing a smaller show might be best. If you get excited about shopping and being in the mix with millions of products to choose from and prefer that type of vibe then by all means go with the big shows.

The truth is, if you are ready to jump into wholesale you shouldn’t wait.

January is the perfect time of year to start something new. Begin the year by taking your Amazon business to the next level and add wholesale into the mix. We offer a guided trade show walkthrough as part of our workshop to take the overwhelm out of the mix. This is trade show hand holding. We are like your GPS system into the world of wholesale which is perfect for anyone who has never been to a trade show.

Still unsure about how this all works? Check out our Confident Wholesale Bundling Workshop page for more information on learning to bundle on Amazon using products from wholesalers. 

Much love,