Dirk EbenerGlobal business and trade show consulting
Bio

I have launched and managed global trade shows for over 20 years in North America, Europe, Middle East, and Asia.
My trade show background is in 22 countries and 65+ industries. We can discuss your current and future domestic and international trade show plans as an organizer, exhibitor, and attendee. I can help you to be successful with trade shows and business expansions in the USA and abroad.


Recent Answers


The hospitality markets around the world are very different. In Oder to provide specific feedback, I would need to know more about the markets and your industry and target audience. Each industry section will require a very detailed focus. You need to build a very strong network to get your product into the hospitality industry. You need to connect with seasoned industry leaders and experts, and have their support. There are soooooo many products introduced every day and months. Many of us are clicking it away, unless we get a call from someone we know and trust. This can open the doors for you. Let me know if you would like to chat.


Interesting, but very loaded, question. It depends on the industry segments, location of your business and the reach you want to have, as well as your budget.

I have organized trade shows all over the world and in over 65 industries. So look at industry, location, country/city, attendee profile, demographics, and some other factors. There are over 10,000 trade shows every year in the USA alone. You need to do some "shrinking" of the reach and take it from there.

Let me know if you have specific questions and we can schedule a call. Good luck!


I would recommend that you start attending industry trade shows in your area and/or country. These are excellent platforms to connect and network. I have organized and attended over 300 trade shows and events over the last 20 years, and suppliers and manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors are at these events.

Additional sources are with export offices, government entities, and other multipliers. There are also specific focus groups in the furniture business, as well as groups that you can connect with.

Let me know if you want to discuss this further in a call. Good luck.


I have been in the domestic and global consulting and trade show business for the last 20+ years. I have worked with many companies that had to prepare business plans, reports, vision and goal focused presentations, and 50+ page corporate documents.

Overall, my first questions usually are "What do you need the BP for?" and "Do you need it for investors and/or banks?". It is important that my clients understand that there are different levels, corporate needs and goals, and presentation levels. Most of the businesses I am working with need to review, adjust, and redirect their business activities every 2-4 weeks. Knowing this speed of change, my recommendation is to start with a business presentation.

I have developed a PowerPoint document that my clients use for meetings or vision sessions with companies. This document keeps them focused (max 15 slides, in Arial 16) because they are "forced" to stay within the slides. We revisit the PP all the time, discussing the status and the direction, and then adjust the slides if necessary.

This format is helping my clients. Let me know if you would like to talk about this in more details in a call.


I agree with the comments posted here. I do not believe that telemarketers will get the call results you are looking for. I hardly ever answer the call when I get calls that I cannot identify. Telemarketers are not industry experts, do not have a relationship in your industry, and cannot create a positive message. Relationships and networks will get the job done. You should find a company that can make focused calls, is a "call consulting" firm and is aware of your industry and products.

Let us know if you like to discuss this further. We have an extensive domestic and international trade show background. We can schedule a call and go into more details.

Good luck!


I believe it is critical that the candidate has an extensive "inside/outside" network in the industry. The outside network that will allow her/him to connect you business with people and leads.

A CEO will be able to work and learn the industry, is very flexible, and can adapt very quickly. It is the personal skills that are often missing. I have worked in global markets all around the world, traveled extensively in Europe, Asia, Middle East and South America. What companies often do not have is the CEO who has the touch and personality to meet people and immediately connect.

The CEO that can talk about the product all the way to the small details is not a CEO that I would recommend. These are the tasks for his second line in the company. The CEO needs to have the interpersonal and leadership skills. Great places to search are conferences and networks, platforms like these, where you can connect and get a feel for them.

Let me know if you would like to discuss this topic further.


I have been involved in C-Level positions in the global trade shows and conferences industry for over 20 years. Planners like myself are very involved with convention centers of all levels and sizes and locations, hotels and smaller venues, in order to place and launch events there. There are literally 850+ line items on our internal project management sheet and timeline.

Questions that we would ask a company like yours include:
1) What markets do you want to approach?
2) Who will be your target audience?
3) Will a Tier 2 or Tier 3 city be the better location?
4) Who is in your current network?
5) Do you prefer a venue or pure conference center or hotel?
6) What is your budget and financial support to launch this program?
7) Who will handle your business in this market and be your contact and management group?

Then there are the operational tasks, marketing, sales, networking with industry leaders, associations, media, multipliers, etc.

These are just the very "tip of the iceberg" topics and 843+ more to go. :-)

I don't mean to take the fun and your energy out of it, but I just want to be direct and upfront.

Let me know if you want to schedule a call and discuss further.

All the best,
Dirk Ebener


Start with allocating about 1-2 hours a day to reach the industry communities you are affiliated with. We recommend to our clients to work on 1) Twitter 2) LinkedIn and 3) Google+. Our research has shown that the reach on Facebook is not as effective as it is on Twitter. We have clients who have a 85% lead finding success on Twitter.

You should create content value by sharing this content and your industry knowledge. There are very specific social media campaigns that will drive traffic to your website through social media. You can also look at joining trade show chats and communication platforms there. Attending you industry events, conferences, trade shows, and other multiplier meetings, is a good way to spread the word about you.

Each industry is very different and you need to focus on these differences. We are working with clients who are looking to enter the global markets. The approach is different here as well.

At the end of the day it all comes down to your willingness to spend time and be creative about the on-line world.

I hope this helps to get you started. If you are interested in a more company and products specific session, follow up or schedule a call. Let us know how we can help you.


This is a very loaded question. In order to better answer the question is would be necessary to know more about the products or services, which markets you are considering, how you will get the information out, how you want to reach these groups.

I have worked with companies from all over the world, working on same or similar topics. There are hundreds and more groups and ways to penetrate the global market. Without more details, it is very difficult to help you further.

Let me know if you need more support. Goold luck.


I am reading a lot of information on SmartBrief. They have several topic and newsletters I get every day. I am also in close touch with industry associations, business groups, and attend trade shows and conferences. The trade show side of the "information flow" provided me with the updates I need for my consulting business. I am all over the social media platforms. The SBA has excellent newsletters.

I hope this helps and good luck.


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