Trade shows and fairs fall somewhere between promotion and personal
selling. Promotional incentives of some kind are often used to encourage
attendance at trade shows and fairs, they are advertised through various
media, and direct contact is made with customers and potential customers
at the company ’ s booth. Literally every industry has a trade show of
some kind. They can be especially important for small marketers unable
to advertise, and they play a significant role in the marketing communication
for industrial companies. It has been estimated that between 20%
and 25% of an industrial marketer ’ s communication budget is spent on
trade shows ( Gopalakrishna and Williams, 1992 ).