In our high-tech, internet-connected world, trade shows may seem like an old-fashioned way to build a business that business-people shouldn’t waste their time on. The opposite couldn’t be more true.
Today’s business world is very competitive, so smart marketers, smart entrepreneurs, and serious small business owners need to build ties with their prospects, partners, and customers.
April 20-21, 2024
The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is a public festival celebrating the written word. It is the largest book festival in the United States, annually drawing approximately 150,000 attendees. Started in 1996, the Festival is held on the penultimate weekend of April, hosted by the University of Southern California, and features vendors, authors and publishers. Some of the events are panels with authors discussing a common subject, storytelling and performances for children as well as the Los Angeles Times book prizes.
Exposure and discover-ability is key to marketing your book. TWPM provides the service to put your book “front and center”, to hundreds of thousands of book buyers at the book fairs it attends. We also provide important information on how these book buyers can purchase books through major retail outlets such as Amazon and Barners & Noble, as well as large distributors that provide important services and sales channels to librarians and schools in the US and around the world.
TWPM provides an affordable way to give your book valuable exposure and discover-ability without having to attend these shows personally and pay thousands of dollars to purchase a booth, re-service hotel rooms, shipping charges, etc. Our print and online searchable catalogs are available on our website after the show has ended, continuing your book promotion for at least two years after the show has ended.
These are the upcoming book shows TWPM can help you in building your audience and book(s).
Publishers, Authors, Agents, Distributors, Librarians, Educators and the Public
You can meet a lot of important people in your business at trade shows. You can also meet a lot of interested, motivated, and ready-to-buy potential prospects and clients. Not only that, but you won’t have to worry about “cold targeting” possible business partners, clients, and customers at trade shows, which is a waste of time and money in traditional marketing. You know that people who go to trade shows are at least interested in what you have to offer, and they are more likely to listen to pitches, network with your business, or even buy what you have to offer right there and then if it fits their needs and budget.
Small businesses should also use trade show events to X-ray the competition and learn from the most successful companies in an industry or niche to find out what they can use in their own goods, services, and marketing channels.
Trade shows take months to get ready for. Booths are planned and made weeks ahead of time. The best salespeople in the company give the best sales pitches and presentations, and the full trade show experience is treated like the Super Bowl for these industry leaders.
Nowhere else will all of their “secrets” be on full display, and you won’t be able to get as much inside information and insight from their sales and marketing teams—and maybe even high-level executives—as you will at a trade show.
Lastly, it’s important to remember that small businesses gain authority, credibility, and impact when they share the same physical space as the biggest companies in their industry or niche. When you can show off your business in a way that includes big names in your field, you are automatically seen as “on the same level” as those stars.
Small companies and startups that are just starting out can use these events to let the market and industry know about themselves. They can also use these events to gain a lot more authority and credibility in a market.
Being able to say that you were at the same events as your biggest competitors, especially if they are very successful in the industry and your small business is still new, gives your business a bit of their shine and puts you in a good position with potential prospects, partners, and clients for the future.