Trade Shows - Entrance Requirements

I'm blogging about Wholesale Trade Shows and we've covered what wholesale trade shows are and the various reasons one might attend a trade show.

Wholesale trade shows are not open to the public - only qualified buyers can attend a trade show of this kind. So how does one become 'qualified' to attend a trade show?

Basically, you need to show some sort of credentials to enter a trade show. Each trade show will have a slightly different credential requirement, but they usually consist of showing your business license, a canceled business check, and copies of wholesale invoices.

Check the trade show you're interested in ahead of time for their requirements list. For example, the buyer requirements for the upcoming International Home Furnishings Show can be found here. Note that one of the requirements is $10,000 worth of wholesale invoices (copies) from the home furnishings market. That may sound like a lot, but it's really not that high for that particular market.

Organizers of the trade shows don't have these requirements to keep people out, but they do want to make sure that only serious buyers are allowed in. They want to make sure your business is not only legitimate but an actual operating business.

Where can you get a comprehensive list of trade shows? The best trade show resource I know of is the Sumner Directory of North American Trade Shows (link here). It's a paper publication and the current cost is about $35. Keep in mind that it includes all trade shows in North America, not just wholesale trade shows.

Happy trade shows! And please post a comment or two if you have anything to add about wholesale trade shows.

Tags: Trade Fairs, Trade Shows, Wholesale Trade Shows, Wholesale Product Sourcing