Doing Business in Germany : Exhibiting at Trade Shows for Indian Managers: Andra’s Quick Tips on Business Culture

By Andra Riemhofer

German trade fairs are the place to be if you want to meet business contacts from all over the world. According to the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry (AUMA), around two-thirds of the world’s leading trade fairs are hosted in Germany. Every year, around 150 international trade fairs and exhibitions take place in the very heart of Europe, attended by 1.8 lakh exhibitors and around 1 crore visitors.
The numbers speak for themselves; but looking at the investment to be made, you may be wondering: “Is exhibiting worth the effort for us? How would we present our offer, and what do visitors expect? How should we speak to German buyers, and how can we attract them to our booth in the first place?”
Exhibiting at Trade Shows for Indian Managers is the first volume in a series of books on Doing Business in Germany, targeting business owners and executives who want to increase their presence in this market.
Readers will benefit greatly from this concise and practical how-to manual, in which several top industry experts from both Germany and India have shared their advice. Focussing on Indo-German business relationships, this e-book provides many examples on how and why culture matters.
The author is a renowned German business consultant in the field of intercultural communications and cooperation; most of her clients are from India.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ANDRA
• Release date: Jul 27, 2017
• ISBN: 9788822801999

Book preview

Andra Riemhofer

Doing Business in Germany : Exhibiting at Trade Shows for Indian Managers

Andra’s Quick Tips on Business Culture

Imprint

Doing Business in Germany : Exhibiting at Trade Shows for Indian Managers.

Andra’s Quick Tips on Business Culture, Volume 1.

Copyright © 2017 by Andra Riemhofer

ISBN: 9788822801999

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write the author at the address below or send an e-mail to [e-mail] .

ANDRA : Intercultural Business Facilitation

Attn: Andra Riemhofer

Alramstrasse 27 / 5th Floor

D-81371 Muenchen (Munich)

GERMANY

Cover design: © [e-mail]

Also by the author:

Riemhofer, Doing Business in Germany : Visiting Trade Shows for Indian Executives

Järvenpää/Riemhofer, Erfolgreich als Expat in … : Mumbai

Järvenpää/Riemhofer, Erfolgreich als Expat in …: Delhi

Riemhofer, Interkulturelle Kinder- und Jugendliteratur : Lesen auf eigene Gefahr

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Contents

Preface

Acknowledgements

1 Attending a Trade Fair in Germany – Is it worth the Effort?

Facts and Figures

Have the Right Expectations

Make up your Mind

Do your Homework

Foster Good Relationships with the Organiser(s)

What we can learn from Seasoned Exhibitors

2 How should you Present Yourselves?

Optimise Positioning and Stand Layout

Publicise your Offer in the Trade Fair Media

Prepare your Sales Pitch and Brief the Team

What we can learn from Seasoned Exhibitors

3 What do (German) Visitors expect?

General Visitor Expectations according to AUMA

Expectations: How Culture matters

What we can learn from Seasoned Exhibitors

4 How can you Attract (German) Visitors?

Do what’s Necessary before the Show

Do what’s Necessary during the Show

Habits to Avoid

What we can learn from Seasoned Exhibitors

5 How should you talk to German visitors?

The (archetype) German visitor

Make your Visitor feel Welcome

Make your Conversation Relevant

Get to the Point (High-context vs. Low-context Cultures)

Be Clear (Direct vs. Indirect Communication)

Show Commitment

What we can learn from Seasoned Exhibitors

6 How do you follow up with (German) Visitors?

Make References to what you discussed

Chart out the next Steps and suggest a Timeline

Show Interest, but don’t be (perceived as) Pushy

After the Show is before the Show

What we can learn from Seasoned Exhibitors

The Author

Credits

For my father, who always liked to keep things simple.

Preface

German trade fairs are the place to be if you want to meet new business partners from all over the world. According to the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry (AUMA), around two-thirds of the world’s leading trade fairs are hosted in Germany. Every year, around 150 international trade fairs and exhibitions are hosted in the very heart of Europe, attended by 1.8 lakh exhibitors and around 1 crore visitors.

So far, online platforms, webinars, and other means of digital communication and networking have not been able to substitute for or even replace trade fairs. The possibility to meet face-to-face and talk to numerous market players in a very short period of time is still reason enough for many companies to invest in their participation.

In 2016, AUMA counted almost 30,000 exhibitors from South, East, and Central Asia – an increase of about 4.5% over the previous year. The Association observed an increase of approximately 6% in the number of exhibitors from the People’s Republic of China; with over 15,000 exhibitors, China had the greatest number of foreign trade fair participants in Germany. India, by contrast, saw its number shrink by 4%, although it still ranked among the TOP 20 Countries according to exhibitor figures; in 2016, a total of 3,266 exhibitors made India rank twelfth.

As the German owner of a PR agency states: No matter where they are hailing from, foreign exhibitors always enrich the international flair of the trade shows; the technology is often outstanding. Another gentleman from India observed that Indian exhibitors are generally