Currently, there are 15,000 exhibitions organized and held annually worldwide and more than 350 exhibitions are continuously taking place in Korea. Nowadays, international exhibitions are positioning themselves as one of core-marketing methods and fur...
Currently, there are 15,000 exhibitions organized and held annually worldwide and more than 350 exhibitions are continuously taking place in Korea. Nowadays, international exhibitions are positioning themselves as one of core-marketing methods and furthermore, as the integrated marketing vehicle.
Since 1995, with the establishment of WTO, each country's subsidizing their own enterprises became officially prohibited, on the contrary, each governments started supporting their enterprises participating in international exhibitions in earnest, which made each nation compete in nourishing the exhibition industry as a key national project by setting up new exhibition center infrastructure and expanding old facilities.
The exhibition industry is considered to be a highly lucrative, value-added service industry. The additional economic spin-offs and revitalizing effect of the service industry generated by building new centers or holding new exhibitions are so magnificent that they became a 'cash-cow' that attracts foreign visitors and exhibitors that contribute a lot to the local economy.
In this sense, the more we have international exhibitions in our home country, the bigger that national economy spin-offs gets because we expect the influx of foreign cash and down-scaling of the level of cash leakage in the overseas by minimizing the no. of participants in overseas exhibitions. Accordingly, this study was conducted to mainly focus on the international exhibitions' environmental factors that have noticeable influence on participation and re-participation intention of exhibitors, providing suggestions of how to develop domestic exhibitions into promising international exhibitions by conducting seamless analysis of differences in participants' perceptions.
The analysis of this study was based on conceived perceptions of Korean enterprises who has ever participated in IT, electric, home appliances related international exhibitions, measured the casual relationship of the exhibitions' environmental factors that affect participation and re-participation. And this study also compared and analyzed perception differences according to the type of exhibitions, scale of enterprises, category of business and list of exhibit items.
In conclusion, the implications found through this study show not a few significant new avenues for internationalizing domestic exhibitions.
First, Korean organizers are to be well aware that creating strong brand value is the single most important factor that affects participants decision most. To achieve this point, close and consistent cooperations among government, host organization and participating companies are needed.
Second, since sales result was proved to be the most significant factor in deciding re-participation in an exhibition, the development of highly-integrated service of match-making for buyers and sellers is required.
Third, various unflagging efforts for improving the level of market preference and attractiveness are required.
Fourth, pre, on-site, post event marketing for participating companies to enhance their performance result should be carefully considered and conducted by exhibition organizers.
Fifth, strategic alliance-formation with foreign organizers to attract global market leaders, key buyers and attendees is required.
Sixth, promoting to help host Korean exhibitions in overseas in an effort to make great synergy is required.
Seventh, government's systematic support programs to improve Korean organizers' capabilities are also required.