What child hasn't imagined him or herself let loose, unrestricted, inside a candy store with all the visual delights, dizzying smells and mouth-watering temptations. A place where there is every real possibility of acting on impulse to help them selves to a bite of every delicious sweet in site?

If you are a retailer of new merchandise who has never attended a Wholesale Trade Show event - you are in for a treat. Wholesale Trade shows are the "candy store"’ with exhibiting companies offering every imaginable product line, purchase option, price, color, description and variety of goods manufactured and distributed for resale.

Once, only the business playgrounds for the largest retail buyers such as department and chain stores, Trade Shows have begun to open up over the last decade to offer opportunities for small businesses, such as the independent dealers who sell from non-traditional brick and mortar business: fair and festival concessionaires, e-auction sellers, online retailers, swap meet and flea market vendors, and the multitude of entrepreneurial home based re-sellers.

Some trade show have as few as fifty companies represented. Others may have several thousand. Some have a narrow focus such as Jewelry only shows, while others have a broad, general merchandise reach.

Certain rules apply to attend most Wholesale Trade Shows. They are open TO THE TRADE ONLY (no public admittance). What that means is that in order to attend you must have proper business credentials. Each show sets their own criteria for admission. Generally, for registration you will be required to provide a copy of such things as: your business license, a company check (sometimes canceled), your resale tax number (certificate) and so forth. Because each show is slightly different, be sure to call before traveling any distance so you won’t be turned away at the door for lack of the necessary documentation.

The majority of wholesale shows are set up to for order taking and receiving goods after the show. A smaller number of shows allow "cash & carry" of goods from the show. You will find this information when contacting individual promoters.

FYI ON TRADE SHOWS:
Follow the link to our NCE Wholesale Trade Show Calendar
Click this link for "Tips For Getting The Most From Trade Shows"