That is, the majority of exhibitors begin to prepare almost at the very last moment, and therefore do not have time to correctly plan the event and notify the target audience. This in no way contributes to attracting a sufficient number stakeholders and, consequently, the expansion of sales.

2.2. Basic principles of marketing as applied to exhibition activities

The exhibition activity of the enterprise is implemented in the following phases (see in comparison with Table 1):

Deciding on participation in the exhibition (corresponds to the preparation stage in the commercial cycle);

Organization of participation in the exhibition (corresponds to such stages of the commercial cycle as the launch, arrangement, construction of the exhibition and work with personnel);

Functioning of the stand (corresponds to such stages of the commercial cycle as the opening of the exhibition, the implementation of the business program, the closing of the exhibition);

Post-show activities (includes customer retention activities after the exhibition closes).

Each of these phases exhibition activities important for the effective implementation marketing policy in order to obtain the desired result. On each of them, with a competent approach, certain marketing principles are implemented. The main principle is an integrated approach to achieving the goals set by the company, that is, the use of a marketing mix. Note that this requirement stems from the trends of the time, but by no means from the nature of the exhibition itself. Of course, the marketing mix involves various ways to stimulate sales, affecting pricing, distribution, product policy, etc. But it does not at all imply a synthesis of different advertising genres and, in general, the use of different marketing communications. Consequently, the marketing mix as the dominant principle is not genetically related to the nature of the exhibition activity.

The key requirements of marketing come down to (a) market research, (b) creating your own market, (c) the implementation of steadily increasing sales. Exhibition events fully meet all three requirements of the company's marketing policy.

To begin with, exhibitions are a highly effective way of conducting market and other - economic, socio-cultural - research. Applied information collected at the exhibition serves as a slice of a specific market situation, which ensures a successful search for new markets or ways to expand existing markets, as well as the best ways to promote goods on them. It follows that the exhibition should be considered as part of marketing plan but not a random event.

The significance of market research at the exhibition is as follows. First, they provide an impressive amount of information at a faster rate and at a lower total cost than traditional research.

Further, the exhibitions allow you to track the dynamics of various indicators, identify trends and determine their magnitude, since such events are held with a certain regularity. The specialization of exhibitions helps to determine whether the observed trends really cover the entire market or its particular sector, sub-sector, etc. Finding the most promising market segments allows you to focus on them as much as possible.

Nowadays, there is a desire of the organizers to hold specialized (industry) exhibitions, the number of which reaches 85% of the total number of such events, while the share of multi-industry exhibitions accounts for only the remaining 15%. According to the International Classifier of the International Union of Fairs (UFI), the largest percentage of specialized exhibitions are:

a) information, communications, office equipment, office equipment, education, game electronics, related equipment - 12%;

b) food, drinks and tobacco products, hotels, restaurants, organizations Catering, appropriate equipment - 15%;

c) health care, hygiene, labor protection and safety, appropriate equipment - 8%;

d) landscaping, construction, equipment and equipment, appropriate equipment - 8%.

Note that in Russia exhibitions dedicated to computer technology from year to year they are losing their popularity more and more and, in all likelihood, will soon become obsolete, which, however, will not lead to the “extinction” of IT exhibitions as a whole. How is this possible? The fact is that now not only and not so much specific types of equipment are becoming more and more popular, but the services for processing electronic data provided on such equipment. In this regard, one of the most "long-lived" thematic exhibitions, for example, was the industry exhibition and conference DOCFLOW, which is regarded as a unique event for the Russian market.

Held since 1996 at the initiative of ABBYY, the exhibition is dedicated to the latest achievements in the field of electronic document management. The target audience of the exhibition are specialists and managers who need to get acquainted with the latest control and processing automation systems. business documents. These exhibitions, despite their record short duration (only one day), gather a large number of people: for example, in 2003 the event was attended by about 2,000 people from 940 organizations.

Specialization of exhibitions is necessary and partly justified, but the market environment as a whole resists narrow specialization, which, apparently, is unjustified at the present stage of development of the world market. Resistance to narrow specialization, with a benevolent attitude towards moderate specialization as such, is also observed in our country. If Russian exhibitors in 81% of cases prefer highly specialized exhibitions (which is logical if we consider the event as a party with an old partner), then visitors with the same zeal attend both highly specialized (99%) and less specialized ones, which present a large industry branch ( 84%. This is probably due to the desire to get acquainted with the widest possible range of goods, and not only closely related ones.

2.3. Exhibitions and fairs

The concepts of trade fair and exhibition are often poorly distinguished in practice. And yet there is a difference between them. A trade fair is considered by marketing experts as a short-term event held periodically in the same place. At the same time, the number of exhibitors at the fair includes many enterprises demonstrating almost all goods and services within an industry or, often, a group of industries. The purpose of the fair is to give entrepreneurs the opportunity to conclude contracts directly during the event. Meanwhile, a trade and industrial exhibition is an event that has all the main features of an exhibition, but is held with the aim of promoting sales.

Therefore, a distinguishing feature of fairs is that they usually involve direct sales of the products on display by the exhibitors. We summarize: contracts can not be concluded directly at exhibitions, the exhibition is more focused on advertising, sales promotion instead of sales itself, although at present the distinction between the concepts of “exhibition” and “fair” has been reduced to a minimum.

It can be recognized as fair that in practice there is no clear distinction between exhibitions and fairs, since it would be inappropriate to deprive a company of the opportunity to conclude a profitable agreement right during product demonstrations.

Practical English language distinguishes along with fair (fair) also exhibition (exhibition of goods and services), exposition (exposition), show (show, show is usually a spectacular event), conference (conference, which involves a press conference), display (demonstration), salon ( exhibition of transport equipment - from French). Collectively, all events of this kind are united by the concept of event ([commercial] event), from where the term event marketing comes from.

The subtle difference between events can be seen in concrete examples from practice:

Fair-sale (sales orientation);

Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy (advertising orientation);

Exposition - in our country, this term is understood as an exhibition department dedicated to products from one manufacturer (the British have it exhibit), while in the West an exhibition-exposition is an event focused on a thematic, highly specialized display of small scales;

Airshow (focus on showing the product in action, with presentation elements);

Conference on Biological Applications active additives(information about the product that cannot be advertised from the stand);

Demonstration - active work of stand attendants (also display is a stand);

Auto show (display of motor vehicles, which implies the active work of promoters).

In total, it is convenient to classify exhibition events according to the direction of work, isolating three large groups:

a) fairs for the implementation of sales and orders;

b) information and study exhibitions;

c) exhibitions held to develop communication and business contacts.

In addition, in our country, it is customary to distinguish any exhibition events into varieties according to the composition of participants, venue and economic significance: regional, interregional, national and international. Regional exhibitions differ in scope with a radius of 100 km. One or several industries are represented at them, mainly small-scale enterprises are active. Inter-regional exhibitions are similar in structure to regional ones, but they are distinguished by a large radius of action and usually represent the products of medium-sized enterprises.

National exhibitions demonstrate the achievements of the industry of the whole country in several industries or in one complex industry (for example, the entire food industry, without distinguishing between meat and dairy, bakery, etc.). Such events are often organized within the country, but can also be held abroad. International exhibitions conducted both within the country; and abroad, where foreign representatives are not only visitors, but also exhibitors (from 10-15% of foreign exhibitors).

As for the differences in the timing and methods of holding exhibitions, on the basis of this feature, the following types of commercial events can be distinguished. Firstly, short-term exhibitions, they are also solo exhibitions. Such events are held for no more than three weeks. They can be either universal or specialized.

Secondly, it is necessary to name traveling exhibitions, which are carried out through the use of various Vehicle: ship board, motor van, aircraft cabin. Often such exhibitions function as fairs, that is, through them the exhibited products are sold.

Thirdly, we should mention a fundamentally new, young type of exhibitions, which are trading weeks. These events are organized in department stores, hypermarkets to display and sell consumer products.

Many other varieties can be named. Thus, permanent exhibitions deserve attention, which are organized, as a rule, at diplomatic consulates and other representations of their country abroad. Such exhibitions are also fairs in the strict sense of the word, since they are designed to conclude deals directly after familiarizing foreign businessmen with the samples of products provided to them. However, as you can see, this and other types of marketing events are associated with foreign economic activity, and therefore somewhat "exotic". It is no longer worth spreading about them, since special literature is devoted to the issue of external trade relations.

It is better, for the sake of developing the topic, to consider the types of exhibitions, following their classification according to such criteria as frequency. First of all, we should mention periodic exhibitions that are held every two years or even less often, but regularly (once every 3, 4, 5 years, etc.). Then we will name the annual exhibitions, the frequency of which is 1 time per year, as follows from their name. Finally, there are seasonal exhibitions that are held several times throughout the year, usually two (warm and cold seasons) or four (four seasons). The frequency of the exhibition is determined mainly by the type of products offered and the conditions of competition. For example, it is convenient and profitable to arrange a fashion show up to four times a year, but new items in construction technologies may be demonstrated at intervals of two years or even more.

As follows from the world experience, exhibitions can also be classified according to the significance of the event for the economy of the city, region, country. This allows you to highlight exhibitions:

a) federal significance (important for the country as a whole);

b) exhibitions of interregional significance (important for several regions of the country);

c) exhibitions of regional significance (having significance only for one region);

d) exhibitions of local importance (important for the city, region).

Along with the above, there is a classification of exhibitions on a territorial basis, which takes into account in which country the exhibition event is held. The territorial feature makes it possible to distinguish between exhibitions held within the country and exhibitions held on the territory of other countries.

Also in practice, the classification of exhibitions by the time of operation is used. Depending on the duration of work, it is customary to distinguish between exhibition events: permanent (from 6 months to 1 year or more); temporary (from 2 weeks to 5 months); short-term (from 1–5 days to 2 weeks).

2.4. Terminology of exhibition activity

Based on the Concept for the development of exhibition and fair activities in Russian Federation Let's define the most important concepts that make up the terminological field of the exhibition and fair business.

Exhibitions and fairs are multi-component market events where exhibitors present goods and services produced on the basis of exhibition samples. Within the framework of exhibitions, organizations (exhibitors) use samples (exhibits) to demonstrate manufactured goods and services in order to study market conditions and promote their sales. The multi-component nature of exhibitions comes down to the fact that they include (a) demonstration of exhibits, (b) conferences and seminars, (c) round tables, (d) other events that perform an information function.

An exhibition organizer (or an exhibition organizer) is a registered in accordance with Russian legislation an organization whose main activity is the preparation and holding of exhibition events both in our country and abroad.

Exhibitor – physical or entity(in the text - an enterprise) using for a fee or on other terms the exhibition space from the exhibition organizer in order to demonstrate its products, works, services during the exhibition event. The same as the exhibitor.

Exhibition space - the total space of the urban or other built environment, somehow isolated and used for the implementation of exhibition activities: for the purpose of placing expositions, receiving visitors, etc. In this case, the exhibition organizer can either (a) be the owner of the exhibition space or (b) organize exhibition and fair events at the rented exhibition areas.

Building - arrangement of the exhibition area by means of special structures to perform its direct functions. When installing an exhibition stand on the exhibition area, it is customary to talk about building a stand.

Economic efficiency is the ratio of the increase in real incomes of enterprises and financial receipts to the budgets of various levels as a result of the implementation of exhibition programs and / or events to the costs of exhibition activities.

The multiplier effect is the impact of the development of exhibition activities on the indicators of the economic, social and cultural well-being of the country. From economic factors should be mentioned: (a) a steady growth in demand for products and services of relevant industries, (b) an increase in sales volumes, (c) an increase in tax revenues to budgets of various levels, (d) the development of infrastructure and related industries. The summation of the benefits from the manifestations of the multiplier effect in comparison with the calculation of costs allows us to find economic efficiency exhibition activities.

10 years ago, participation in the exhibition itself was one of the few effective factors creating a successful company image and promoting goods and services. The dissemination of information about technical specifications goods: catalogs, booklets, flyers, etc. During the exhibition, negotiations were held, deals were concluded, there was an exchange of experience and information.

Currently

On the one hand, the number of various exhibitions and the number of participating companies is constantly increasing. Participation in exhibitions has become mandatory for many companies. This is a way to “remind yourself”, to present new products. Refusal to participate in the exhibition process may lead to a deterioration in the image, a certain status of the company.

On the other hand, more and more often one can hear complaints that investments in exhibition activities do not give such an economic effect as before. And this is understandable - at the stage when the market was just beginning to take shape, when the seller and the buyer were actively looking for each other, any participation in the exhibition led to the establishment a large number new business connections and contacts, increasing the level of sales by several times or even by an order of magnitude. Today simple circuit participation in the exhibition - obtaining and filling the exhibition space with information about the products offered and its samples, relying on entertainment, bright advertising, etc., does not work so efficiently anymore. Economic ties have been established, the market, with rare exceptions, has developed in almost all areas. We have to fight for new customers. Others have appeared effective ways presentation and promotion of goods and services: websites, online stores, online mailing lists, etc.

Doesn't this mean that exhibition activities as a way of positioning on the market and promoting products are becoming obsolete?

Not at all. Participation in exhibitions with proper preparation and well-organized intensive work during all exhibition days, as before, can give a good economic effect. It's just that the very approach to participation in exhibitions is changing somewhat (tasks, goals, forms of work, etc.). That is, at the present stage of business development, there is a need to increase the economic return from exhibition activities.

Let's try to figure out which aspects are not sufficiently taken into account or do not fall into the field of attention of the exhibition participants?

Let's decompose the exhibition and "near-exhibition" activities into separate components for analysis and try to understand which of them are missed or ignored, and in the end - do not work and do not create economic benefits.

1. Participation and work at the exhibition "the old fashioned way"

The main mistake of the management of many companies is the misunderstanding of the very principle of preparation and participation in the exhibition at the present stage. Most often and, unfortunately, by many, the need to participate in exhibitions is considered only as an obligatory factor in maintaining the company's image at a certain level and a way to "remind yourself". Preparation for the upcoming exhibition begins 1-2 months before its start and the main attention is paid to the selection, organization and design of the company's exhibition site and the allocation of employees to work at the stand, as well as the production of promotional materials, etc.)

For the majority of exhibitors, the main traditional form of work at the exhibition is renting space and preparing a stand.

In that most the work can be undertaken by the company-organizer of the exhibition.

Exhibition organizing companies provide exhibition preparation services: renting an area, building a stand of any complexity, accommodating guests and participants of the event in hotels, renting time during the conference, audio announcements, etc. These services are provided at a high and modern level. The technical side of the exhibitions is also most often presented using modern achievements in the field of communications, television for conferences, sounding of halls, Internet connection directly at the stand, etc.

During the preparation of the exhibition, the organizers collect information and prepare a colorful and informative catalog containing brief information about participating companies, and paid advertising about the direction of their activities. The exhibition is advertised in the media as general event to attract visitors during the event. All these issues are resolved at a high modern level, but they relate mainly to the sale of exhibition space, and not to the organization of marketing communications, the collection and exchange of information. The rest of the work should be undertaken by the company-participant of the exhibition or entrust the preparation of a particular exhibition to a professional company.

This is a traditional and "knurled" path, which is followed by all exhibition participants. You can call it "passive". The result is a feeling of dissatisfaction and disappointment. And this is understandable. What else can a person feel, seeing that investments, at best, remain the same, and the economic effect - alas - is no longer the same, and even decreases from time to time.

2. At the present stage

And the exhibitions, meanwhile, as before are enough effective tool marketing communications, but only when proper organization preparation and holding of each specific exhibition. What is "marketing communications", and why do we refer to this concept in connection with the analysis of exhibition activities?

Marketing communications system - collection and processing of information about markets, customers, competitors, development trends, etc. (input information of the company) and advertising information about the activities of the company, its development plans and achievements, on the products and services offered (output information of the company).

The exhibition is the place where almost all serious players of this particular market segment gather periodically and at the same time - both those who have already proven themselves, and those who are just about to make themselves known. This is a very convenient moment to get an idea of ​​the current situation in the environment where the sphere of your interests is located, to get a feel for the conjuncture, to start building the necessary tactics and strategy.

During the exhibition event, issues related to the study and analysis of external environment company (gathering information, qualified competent interviewing, surveys, etc.) and promoting information about the company, its plans, new products and services.

That is, an exhibition is a very convenient place, or, figuratively speaking, a “bridgehead” where you need to work actively and build tactics for the future in the struggle for your “potential client”. This is the so-called "active" or, if you like, "aggressive" marketing. For some reason, it is considered as something separate and has nothing to do with exhibition activities.

Consider exhibitions as an instrument of marketing policy and communication.

Here we single out important aspect How exhibition marketing support, which includes a number of diverse and multi-temporal events.

We have already agreed that the exhibition should be regarded as a springboard for active work, a "struggle" for one's "potential client". And for any “struggle” one must prepare in advance (unless, of course, there is a desire to win). Moreover, it is advisable to start preparing much earlier than in the case described above (see. old-fashioned work).

It is advisable to start with:

• marketing research (MI) of thematic exhibitions of this market segment, selection of the necessary exhibitions, development of a plan for preparation and participation in exhibitions;
• analytical research concerning the activities of the company, promoted products and services.

When conducting a study, it may be necessary to seriously adjust the preliminary plan for the company's participation in exhibitions.

A decision may be made to launch a new product or refuse to place some directions or goods on the stand, etc.

Based on the results of the conducted research, a handout containing articles on problematic issues and research results to attract the attention of customers.

The scope of this study includes:

• overall plan holding exhibitions (in Russia and abroad) on topics of interest to the company;
• analysis of the competitive environment and behavior of competitors;
• assessment of the stage of the company's internal development (appearance of a new product or service, entry into new markets, etc.), which will determine the purpose of participation in the exhibition, the form of participation (For example, as a result of the MI, a decision may be made to participate in the work of an exhibition conference and refuse to work at the booth).

The choice and inclusion of a particular exhibition in the plan for the company's participation in exhibitions must be carried out, first of all, based on the assessment of:

• orientation of the exhibition itself;
• various indicators of each specific exhibition;
• as well as every stage of its development

(Often, even famous exhibitions turn into expensive and beautiful shows with great participation of the audience, but with an almost complete absence of specialists. After the event, such events leave almost no informational trace, except for colorful photo reports and media reviews).

The collection and processing of information about participants in a particular market, and especially about companies participating in the exhibition with a similar type of product or service, is a very important stage both in preparing for the exhibition and in developing the marketing policy of the company as a whole.

The result of this section of work is the development of a plan for the company's participation in exhibitions. And finally, the development of a common detailed plan holding a specific exhibition, which, as a rule, is carried out 2-6 months before the event.

Getting the most out of exhibition activities is possible only with the proper development of a common perspective plan participation of the company in thematic exhibitions, conferences and other events and the plan of each specific event separately.

The plan must necessarily include a list of tasks that must be solved as a result of participation in the exhibition, the main goals of participation in certain events, a list of activities expected to be carried out in the process of preparing the exhibition, during its holding and after its completion, a list target audience with which it is supposed to work (invited to the exhibition, competitors, potential customers, partners, etc.) and forms of work with them, methods of collecting and evaluating the necessary information (selected or developed in the process of preparing for the event). The plan according to which the company participates in the exhibition process is created on the basis of information obtained as a result of marketing research (MI).

One of the most important points in the implementation of the plan for the preparation and holding of the exhibition are:

• before the exhibition - inviting guests, mailing information materials(by mail, email etc.), preparation and placement of the announcement of the exhibition and other information;

There are a number of common mistakes to be aware of here: invite visitors to the booth in advance, with the help of mailing lists, at seminars and corporate events companies, etc. It is important to correctly define the target audience.

• try avoid "simultaneous" prompt(i.e. at the same time) to visit the booth and to visit the thematic conference taking place as part of the exhibition or during the exhibition in another place.

• collection and processing of information while working at the exhibition (competitors, customers, potential customers, etc.), interviewing the selected audience;

The success of the event largely depends on how competently and adequately carried out development of various forms of information collection, systematization and its analysis.

Currently booming development information technologies the exchange and receipt of information is ongoing. And as a result of the increase in the volume of incoming data, the development of criteria for processing information flows comes to the fore.

For example, here are some of the indicators that it is advisable to analyze:

• The number of visitors to the stand, their qualitative composition (position, ability and authority to make decisions, regional composition, availability of experts on the proposed topics among visitors, etc.).
• The number of negotiations.

Completing a special list of negotiations is mandatory to facilitate the collection and analysis of information about potential customers, their needs and coordinates.

Information about the qualitative component of the negotiations (readiness to buy, collection of technical information, etc.) is also recorded here.

When working with customers after the end of the exhibition, it is necessary to emphasize the negotiations, the ending of which is a deal, the conclusion of an agreement.

• Gathering information about competitors (development plans, new products and services, strategic changes in company policy, etc.).

It is advisable to entrust this work (from development to implementation) to a professional company in organizing the collection and processing of information, since with the current “crowding” of the market it is difficult to obtain reliable information about the activities of competitors during normal communication and receiving a simple interview.

• work in the pavilion as a stand;

Selection and training of employees who will work at the exhibition and solve the set of tasks - a very important issue, quite difficult and delicate.

Note that most people solve this issue very simply or simply in no way - they delegate one of the company's employees (most often sales managers) to the exhibition. Work at the exhibition has its own characteristics, so even an experienced sales employee may be ineffective during the exhibition. Thus, more attention should be paid to the level of training of specialists working at the stand.

There are different ways:

• selection, instruction of own employees;
• invitation of ready-made professionals from specialized companies;

Work of employees at the stand accompanied by a number of "traditional mistakes" and missed opportunities, because it is not prepared in advance. Questions marketing communication most of the time they are out of sight.

Here are the most common ones:

• Samples of products, promotional materials are not optimally located.
• A plan for communicating with guests and collecting information was not thought out in advance.
• The delivery of promotional materials was not thought out.
• The general work plan of the exhibition is not taken into account (for example, meetings are scheduled that overlap in time with thematic presentations at the exhibition conference).
• When managers of different directions work at the company's booth, presentations to visitors are unidirectional in nature - managers most often, and not always consciously, try to get a customer in their own sales area (to increase their own economic indicators). This ultimately leads to a decrease overall indicators returns from the exhibition.

In this case, if it is not possible to solve the problem with the help of corporate ethics, it is advisable to resort to the help of "hired stand people" (specialists for communicating with guests and collecting marketing information in the interests of all areas of the company). Special technical questions are answered by the technical specialists of the company itself. Often, attracting your own employees to work at the exhibition (for example, sales managers) leads to a deterioration in customer service in the company's office and not enough quality work at the exhibition stand (the lack of experience of working at the exhibition of employees affects).

• targeted distribution of promotional materials about goods and services;

At the present stage, correctly placing information on the stand and laying out promotional products and samples is not enough. It is necessary to think over in advance the targeted distribution of promotional materials among guests and exhibitors and organize it correctly.

• preparation of analytical reports, reports, reports with photographic materials following the results of the exhibition;

After the completion of the event, it is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of the exhibition and the information received.

An erroneous approach is to assess the effectiveness of an exhibition, conference or presentation only with the help of economic indicators (increase in sales profits; amounts for which contracts were concluded during the exhibition). Of course, everything is ultimately done to obtain and increase profits, but it is necessary to compare activities by intermediate estimated parameters. For example, one of the indicators is the number of guests and negotiations. This is necessary to compare the effectiveness of the company's participation in different exhibitions. With growth relative indicators The effectiveness of participation in exhibitions will ultimately be the growth of the economic performance of the company.

An analysis of all the information received at the exhibition and in the course of its preparation, which will form the basis of the final report, will become the basis of the company's marketing policy for the next time after the exhibition.

• Placement of final information about participation in the exhibition on the company's website and other Internet sites.

• Organization of problematic conferences, seminars, both as part of exhibitions and at other venues, inviting an interested audience.

conclusions

Summing up the above, we primarily see an increase in the efficiency of exhibition activities in the development and implementation of marketing support for exhibitions (information support for the event, improvement of methods for collecting, processing information and general development the process of managing the exhibition activities of an enterprise or company). Work at the exhibition will become more focused and effective if it is planned and carried out on the basis of target marketing research in support of the preparation and holding of exhibitions.

In our opinion, the near future development of exhibition activities will result in the organization of permanent virtual exhibitions on the Internet, with pavilions and stands, by analogy with any existing exhibition.

Exhibition activity as a socialsystem

A. V. Tselekhovich

Exhibition activity includes two different meanings: art exhibition and an exhibition like ... a short-term, periodically repeated event during which, on the basis of samples, enterprises give consumers an idea of ​​the goods (services) offered for the purpose of selling them. In this case, we will talk about exhibition activities in its second meaning. It can be seen from the definition that the main purpose of the exhibition lies in the field of economics. But the constant growth in the number of exhibitions held in our country has led to an increase in their significance not only as an economic, but also as a social event.

From the point of view of sociology, exhibition activity is a set of diverse communications that are carried out mainly on a limited area of ​​the exhibition pavilion for a limited period of time. “A social system is a set of elements (various social groups, layers, social communities), which are in certain relations and connections with each other and form a certain integrity. Exhibition activity can be considered as a social system, since its individual elements, having a significant degree of autonomy within common system, are still aware of themselves as elements of one whole (exhibition) and are subject to a single general rules interactions. At the same time, internal connections between individual participants in the course of exhibition activities are highly intense, which ensures the relative integrity of the exhibition as a system.

The exhibition activity includes four direct participants, each of which plays a specific role. First, it is the organizer, one or more. Secondly, it is the exhibitors or participating organizations. Third, there are the visitors. And fourthly, it is mass media. The main organizers of exhibitions in the Republic of Belarus:

National Exhibition Center "BELEXPO"

Expoforum

"Green Expo"

T&C (CJSC "Technique and Communications")

According to general theory systems, the properties of the system as a whole are irreducible to the mechanical sum of the properties of its individual elements and more than this sum. As a social system, exhibition activity has the following specific property: it significantly condenses those social communications that usually take place between its participants outside of exhibition activity. This is due to the fact that the exhibition activity allows in a limited time in a limited space to meet precisely those social subjects that directly or indirectly relate to the same or close areas of public life. First of all, it is the economic sphere. But it can also be the sphere of mass media (exhibition "Media in Belarus"), the sphere of recreation and entertainment, medicine, etc. Participants of the exhibition activities get the opportunity to meet almost simultaneously with a large number of other social subjects that are significant to them. Thus, those communications, on which the participants might otherwise spend a lot of time, they carry out during the several days that the exhibition lasts. Of course, at any exhibition there is a certain number of random participants. The bulk of random participants are visitors.

One of the distinguishing features of complexly organized social systems is the processes of social management that take place in them. That is, individual elements act under the influence of such factors, the overall intensity, duration and other characteristics of which can be controlled to some extent. Thus existence social system subjected to a significant degree of rational management. With the caveat that the behavior of individual social actors, as well as their aggregates, is not always rational and predictable. Exhibition activities contain certain norms, rules and mechanisms that allow you to regulate the behavior of individual participants. As a simple example, the timing of the exhibition or the mode of operation during the day.

The exhibition is dynamic system. Its operation can be divided into the following stages:

Preparatory stage.

Direct exhibition activity.

Post-show stage. Usually, the first stage is the decision-making stage.

about the organization of the exhibition (for organizers) or participation in the exhibition (for other types of participants). But it seems logical to attribute the adoption of such decisions to the preparatory stage instead of singling it out as an independent one. On preparatory stage the subjects of exhibition activity make a decision on their participation, establish the necessary connections for participation, and carry out communications accompanying the preparation of participation. At this stage, those criteria are also set, according to which the success of participation in the exhibition will subsequently be assessed. At the second stage, the participants carry out the actual exhibition communications, that is, those social communications for which the subjects participate in the exhibition. At this stage, the highest density is observed social communications between the exhibitors, as the exhibitors strive to get the maximum effect from participation in the exhibition. At the third stage, the effectiveness of participation is evaluated.

ABOUT social significance exhibitions speaks not so much of the growth in the total number of exhibitions, but the growth in the number of areas in which the exhibitions are held. According to one of the organizing companies (GreenExpo), over the past three years, the number of exhibitions in such areas as food and beverages, entertainment, and personal services has increased. Number of exhibitions related to industry, energy and construction industry, remains generally unchanged. Perhaps this is due to the fact that industrial exhibitions have been held for a long time, and their number and frequency have already been established. And now exhibition activity is beginning to explore those areas of public life that did not participate in it before. As the analysis of the annual calendars of exhibition activities shows, the range of directions is very wide: from industry and the energy sector to the entertainment and religious exhibitions

Exhibition activity performs the following social functions:

Integrative: exhibition activity brings together for a while various social agents belonging to one or more adjacent areas of public life. This feature affects all exhibitors.

Establishing new and maintaining existing relationships. This function primarily applies to exhibitors and visitors.

Informational: exhibitors, visitors and the media participate in exhibition activities in order to receive and transmit new information. Less given function affects the organizers.

Receipt feedback about the results and quality of their activities. This function practically does not affect the participation of visitors and the media in the exhibition.

Environmental monitoring: analysis of existing social connections(both their own social ties and social ties between other agents), search and analysis of innovations and main trends in current and related areas of activity.

Symbolic: creating, maintaining or changing the status and image of the participant. This function is directly related to all four types of participants, but it is of the greatest importance for exhibitors and organizers.

In general, the exhibition allows the participating parties to explore new directions in the development of the industry, establish new contacts and show their own achievements and new trends. More rarely, exhibitions are used by participating parties to obtain feedback on the results and quality of their activities.

Literature

1. Nazarenko L. F. Exhibition as a marketing tool. M., 1997.

2. Sociology: Encyclopedia / Comp. A. A. Gritsanov, V. L. Abushenko, G. M. Evelkin, G. N. Sokolova, O. V. Tereshchenko. - Minsk: Book House, 2003. 1312 p.

3. Shcherbich G. A., Anokhina N. N. Exhibitions as a marketing tool: Proc. Method. Benefit. Minsk: BSEU, 2000. 32 p.

The systematic activity of organizing various kinds of exhibitions and fairs in most countries of the world is important industry economy. Russia is also characterized by such a rapidly developing business as exhibition and fair activities. This is facilitated not only by the dynamic development of local markets, investments in the economy, but also by the rapid development of the regions themselves, as it is one of the driving forces economic development.

The concept of exhibition activity and why it is needed

This activity is aimed at finding the most rational forms of communication between trade and industry, finding new markets for goods produced in the country. At present, the activity of organizing exhibitions in Russia has a sufficient number of necessary professional resources:

• managerial;
• economic;
• technological;
• technical;
• economic;
• advertising;
• informational.

General issues of development and technology of exhibition activities in Russia have already been sufficiently studied. At present, the topic of its effectiveness is becoming more relevant.

The reason for this was certain changes in the country's economy: the period when capital was rapidly accumulating was replaced by a period of competition.

The position of the industry in the economic segment of the country today

Now, many representatives of domestic business understand that it is more profitable not to withdraw profits abroad, but to invest in their own economy. Even the essence of competition is changing: manufacturers and distributors are now concerned not so much with advertising the product itself, but with the presentation of the benefits that the buyer will receive by choosing a particular brand. That is why the exhibition and fair activity of organizations and enterprises producing and selling goods is aimed at creating demand for the object being sold. In this regard, it is noted importance organization of various fairs and exhibitions.

These events are designed to acquaint the interested audience with the development of a particular industry and the goods and services it produces and identify the demand for them. Their value lies in creating a situation partnership communication exhibitor with potential buyer. The more professionally the exhibition is organized, the more benefits can be expected from it. It is sad that at present Russian exhibition organizers are solving this problem in an unprofessional manner: without taking a progressive approach to their organization and inadequately evaluating the results of this action. Many exhibitors are not aware of the inefficiency of their participation in the fair, because they do not have the mechanism for an adequate assessment of the organization of the event.

Nevertheless, many steps have already been taken in this direction: a classification has been made organizational methods, on the basis of which planning and organization of the described activities are carried out:

• theoretical models, which contain analysis and recommendations, within which the company participates in the exhibition;
• collection of analytical data about during the insertion;
• exhibition activities in general information and the rules of its organization.

Forms of holding exhibition events

The forms of organization of activities are very extensive and are able to satisfy any requests of the participants. market relations. Currently, these services are implemented through the following events: auctions, thematic weeks, exhibitions, symposiums, salons, fairs, conferences, festivals, exchanges, tastings, etc.

Despite the apparent similarity, such events differ from each other in a number of ways:

• target;
• organization procedure;
• way of participation;
• composition of involved participants and interested visitors, etc.

Currently, the activities that are the subject of discussion of this article are mainly represented by the holding of fairs and exhibitions held in the form of:

• trade and industrial fairs;
• exhibitions of various levels (international, regional, city, etc.);
• specialized salons-exhibitions, etc.

Features of congress activities

Congress and exhibition activities are no less powerful advertising tools that promote various products and services. In addition, the advantage of this direction is the possibility of prompt exchange of information. The sphere includes the organization of events of various formats and scales. As a rule, this is:

• symposia;
• forums;
• seminars;
• congresses;
• summits;
• conferences, etc.

Often this vector of the exhibition and fair business is called "event", which is explained by the tourist component. Congress and exhibition activities have a significant impact on the formation and development of professional and business tourism in the regional, national and international framework. It is important to note that such exhibitions help stimulate visits by two categories of people. The first includes direct participants of exhibitions who are looking for ways to promote advertising and customers to sell their goods. The second group is people who attend exhibition events in order to familiarize themselves and further purchase products, conclude long-term contracts for cooperation or supplies.

The foundations of exhibition activities in the field of congress tourism are the basis of state economic development. The task of the industry is to create new and optimize existing enterprises in all sectors of the economy, as well as attract funds from foreign investors, the arrival of which will become a determining factor in readiness for the further growth of professional and business tourism.

The place of museums in the exhibition activity of the country

Modern exhibition activity includes in its system another important element of the cultural and educational vector. Changes in the public life of the state at the end of the 20th century had a negative impact on museum exhibitions, the main task of which was to educate the people, familiarize them with the style visual arts and orientation in certain genres. The exposition and exhibition activity of that period practically came to a standstill. Working for more than 20 years in the mode of "one-day" exhibitions, and today museums continue to work according to the same scheme.

Active museum and exhibition activity is preserved only in institutions that are ready to boast of the mobility of holding events. This is what allows commercial and non-commercial participants in the exposition environment to quickly respond to public requests, introduce research materials into the work of exhibitions and provide them to visitors.

Despite the fact that museum and exhibition activities are practically identical concepts, the economic component of the latter is a higher priority at the state level.

The value of exhibition and fair activities

The Russian economy, which has advanced far in its development, at the present stage considers exhibition and fair activities not only as a tool for pricing, searching for potential partners, attracting capital, but also as a stimulator of production based on a large scientific potential, a tool for interaction between regional and international markets.

The organization of exhibition activity implies such an economic space where technologies, services and goods could move freely, appear innovative methods business. Not only the organization of export-import exchange for this moment becomes dependent on exhibition and fair activities, without it it is difficult economic development territories within the country. This happens due to the presence of this significant integration potential, advantages over other types of communications and the ability to compare the country's economy with the world economy.

Types and differences of exhibition and fair events

The international classification system makes it possible to divide exhibitions (fairs) according to the following criteria:

• geographical composition of participants;
• branch (thematic) attribute;
• economic importance;
• territorial sign;
• time frame (duration).

This is far from the only way, according to which exhibition activities are classified, although recognized by the world community. In connection with changes in the European economy, it became necessary to streamline the activities of organizing exhibitions, based on a territorial basis in terms of participation in the event of interested persons from a certain number of countries. The following classification is intended to evaluate economic importance any activity in this area.

1. Global Exhibition (an event of a certain industry on a global scale; attracts participants from all over the world).
2. European Exhibition (a European-scale event; it attracts participants from all its countries).

The following structures can carry out this type of activity:

• bodies executive power federal level and subjects of the federation;
• structures specializing in organizing such events;
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Chambers of Commerce and Industry);
• both industry and inter-regional associations;
• organizations of various forms of ownership, even if this activity is not essential for them.

Self-government characterized by sufficient efficiency, financial stability, organization of high-quality work of municipalities are impossible without the development

The organization of exhibition activities is focused on creating an environment that will promote goods and services not only to domestic, but also foreign markets, will force local entrepreneurs to establish economic and economic ties with foreign partners.

How is the field of exhibition activity developing in the world?

The development of activities for the organization of fairs (exhibitions) in the world does not stand still, it brings billions of dollars in income to the organizing countries, which makes them constantly compete in this area. A quarter of contracts are concluded during international events. Exhibition activity, as a business of Asian countries, has made a qualitative leap forward, overtaking the countries of Europe and America, and gaining leadership in this direction. In our country, things are happening differently.

In Russia, the development of exhibition activities is undergoing qualitative changes. Gradually, the sphere becomes an independent industry. The number of these events is growing, the requirements for them are increasing, which allows them to take their place in the global niche. This is evidenced by the open data of the International Union of Exhibitions and Fairs: in Russia there are about 250 organizers of exhibitions, 55 of which are members of the International Union; they have held more than 1200 exhibitions of various levels. The annual turnover of this in the country is more than 193 million US dollars and every year it increases by more than 30%.

Since 1991, the number of activities in this direction has increased by 17% per year. Everything suggests that this part of the country's economy is developing with dignity.

The specifics of holding exhibition events in the Russian regions

Exhibition events in our country are held in many cities, in addition to St. Petersburg and Moscow, although these cities continue to be recognized as international exhibition centers.

Some trends in the development of exhibition activities in Russia can be identified. Following the example of the world community, the country is following the path of reducing the number of universal exhibitions representing a large number of industries. Each subsequent event becomes more specialized, aimed at comprehensive coverage of a certain area of ​​exhibition activity, a manufacturer of goods or services. The increase in industrial growth entails an increase in the number of exhibitions (fairs) on this topic.

The capital of Russia, Moscow, is still the city where the vast majority (more than a quarter) of such events in the country takes place, remains the center of representation of a large number of industries. But more and more clearly there is a tendency to increase the number of exhibitions (including international ones) held in regions and cities where a large number of representatives interested in consuming the presented products and services are concentrated.

The fact that exhibition activity is developing rapidly at the present stage is evidenced by the constantly increasing number of exhibitors who present their products at these events. Now their number is approaching half of the total number of participants.

At present, large-scale construction of exhibition grounds is underway in Moscow (primarily this concerns the All-Russian Exhibition Center). The exhibition areas of St. Petersburg are constantly expanding. New centers are being renovated and built to organize exhibitions of various levels in Irkutsk, Samara, Volgograd, Tyumen, Khanty-Mansiysk, Khabarovsk, Sochi and other cities.

Unresolved problems at this stage of the existence of exhibition activities

Unfortunately, grandiose positive changes in exhibition activities are taking place against the backdrop of a number of problems that are being solved slowly and with great difficulty.

1. First of all, it is necessary to note the imperfection regulatory framework which does not adequately regulate this type of activity. It is necessary to develop additional norms and relevant documents.
2. Lack of coordination in the planning of these events: there is no agreement on the timing, topics, priority areas which hinders international cooperation; the national component is weakly expressed.
3. There is no statistics of organizations engaged in exhibition activities, which hinders the analysis of their activities and makes it difficult to forecast development.
4. There is no conceptual approach of public authorities of various levels to this type of activity, despite its significant importance for the development of the country's economy as a whole.
5. The low level of support for certain departments, called upon by their coordinated actions to provide state support to the exhibition activities of Russia.
6. The level of the material and technical base of this type of activity does not correspond international standards, and as one of the main shortcomings in this regard, the lack of exhibition space throughout the country.
7. Currently, foreign exhibitors more often manage to promote their products, services and technologies on Russian market. Russian goods at international fairs are not adequately represented, so it is necessary to work towards the symmetry of import-export flows.
8. The organizers of a huge number of fair projects of similar subjects do not always compete in good faith with each other, which reduces the popularization of such activities and negatively affects the development of the industry as a whole.
9. The use of exhibitions (fairs) unsuitable for this area, the lack of transport accessibility, the inability to attract a sufficient number of visitors, that is, undeveloped infrastructure.

Despite a long list of shortcomings, exhibition activity in Russia is undergoing a lot of work to organize and improve domestic market, truly on a national scale. This happens in connection with the recognition of its political and strategic importance in the development of the country's economy.