IV. Integrated Exhibition Marketing
B. Specific Marketing Aspects

Trade fairs are multifunctional:

• they can be mixed with separate instruments and
• can hardly be seen as independent without overlapping with other tools, such as advertising or promotion
• must be integrated into a company’s strategic marketing concept, and
• adjusted to the other marketing tools; all other marketing instruments must be adapted to the fair participation and repetitive, because “Trade show participation is too expensive to be limited to the exhibit alone”35)

Trade shows and exhibitions have relations to the enterprise’s

• Product policy
• Distribution policy
• Contract policy
• Promotion policy

Trade fair participation can be regarded as a stand alone communication tool or as a complement to other marketing tools. Trade shows require a combined input of different communication tools. Many other marketing instruments: e.g. advertising, public relations, promotion, have to be used to successfully participate at the trade show.