Buyer Perceptions of Foliage Trade Shows: Implications for Marketing

A ten question survey was mailed to all registered buyers of the 1988 Foliage Expo trade show in Hallandale, Florida to seek their opinions on the performance of the show, to better understand the buyer profile, and gain insight into the effectiveness of these shows as marketing tools. Based on the results of this survey, it appears that an important target group, namely the retail trade sector, were not being drawn in sufficient numbers to this particular trade show. These findings indicate that sponsors may not have clearly identified the intended audience, determined unambiguously the preferences of this audience, nor effectively advertised and promoted the trade exhibition.