We work with many businesses that want to expand their business in Japan, both companies with established local subsidiaries here as well as those that might not have a local office yet or work through local distributors. For many of these smaller companies that we work with, our customers have realized that events are a great way to market their business overseas.
If your company is looking to expand overseas, there are many reasons why events have many benefits. Let us explain to you based on our experience of preparing a Japan pavilion with space for 8 companies during the upcoming ASEAN Beauty show, to be held in Bangkok, Thailand from May 2 to 4, 2019.

Japan Pavillion at ASEAN Beauty Show

Bigbeat opened an office in Thailand recently and have been working with many companies that want to exhibit there and throughout ASEAN. We have found that while many larger companies are investing in their own booths or doing private shows, smaller companies might not have the resources to have a dedicated booth. However, they see the importance of participating in an industry trade show to market their business.

It is for that reason that, partnering with UBM Asia (Thailand), we decided to invest in creating a Japan pavilion for the upcoming ASEAN Beauty show to allow more Japanese businesses the opportunity to market their business overseas. We want to show the power that events can have for businesses, and in the case of ASEAN Beauty, showcase the excellent beauty products that Japanese companies are creating.
In 2018 there were more than 200 companies that exhibited at ASEAN Beauty but only 2 Japanese companies were present. Considering the large number of Japanese beauty brands large and small that exist, we know there is a great opportunity to help many brands.

Bigbeat Inc., ASEAN Beauty 2019 Secretariat, Tatsuro Otaki

Events to add value to our clients

Our approach to event management has always been not to just be a mere logistical resource but to add value to our clients and do whatever it takes to make them successful. The Japanese pavilion at ASEAN Beauty will be no different. We already are doing preparing for our customer’s success through the following:

•    We already began to promote the show by holding an informational event in Tokyo on November 29 to better explain ASEAN Beauty and our Japanese pavilion. We had nearly 100 people attend this meeting. This was not merely a promotional event as we also had Thai industry people explain the local culture and needs of the Thai consumer to educate Japanese businesses. We also invited Kirarista, our “Japan Recommend” Ambassador who is well known in Thailand as a KOL (Key Opinion Leader, or influencer) in Japanese consumer products, to explain the “real” market in Thailand.

•    We established unique branding for the pavilion to attract more people to the pavilion. The branding for the Japan Pavilion will be along the theme of “Japan Recommend,” a unique brand that we created in-house to spark interest that many Thai have for Japanese products as well as to differentiate our exhibitors from their competitors from different countries. In fact, the logo for Japan Recommends was created locally by our team in Bigbeat Thailand to be the most suitable for the local consumer.

•    We also realize that before our exhibitors can make sales, they need to have brand awareness. In order to add value here, we have invested in influencer marketing and will have local Thai beauty influencers at the pavilion interviewing and reporting on the Japan exhibits. In ASEAN markets, we feel that working with KOLs allows you to cut through the noise and be heard and is more effective than TV tie-ups.

•    The package that we offer is not just for the booth space but also includes our promotion of exhibitors, an appointment setting system, the ability to give speeches inside our pavilion, and even a translator to help navigate the Thai language.

We feel that if our clients can succeed in ASEAN Beauty, they can succeed in other ASEAN beauty events and begin to increase their presence in the region. In this way, events are the ultimate way to test market one’s products and services and gauge market fit.

The ROI you can get from trade shows

ASEAN Beauty is an example of the exposure that industry events can bring to your company. To understand trade show’s potential for marketing your brand, even if you don’t have sufficient local representation, let’s look at some of the stats of the 2018 ASEAN Beauty show:

•    ASEAN Beauty invested in advertisement and had 23 million impressions to target buyers across digital marketing, traditional advertising, and PR channels.
•    Attendees came from 60 countries
•    Almost 10,000 attendees came
•    There were more than 250 exhibitors
•    According to exhibitor surveys, more than 3,200 business matches (leads) were generated during the show, an average of more than 10 per exhibitor!
•    The same survey showed that deals worth $34 million were generated during the show, averaging $136,000 per exhibitor.

This is just one example of the ROI of marketing your company overseas through trade shows and other industry events. If you’re looking to develop new business overseas or just survey the market for business opportunities, there really is no better low-risk and potentially high ROI of doing so than being represented at a leading event like ASEAN Beauty. The same goes for any B2C or B2B industry event or trade show.

If your company is interested in exhibiting in Japan or Southeast Asia but don’t have the resources to do it on your own, please reach out to us so that we can help you like we have helped so many others. Additionally, if you would like advice as to which show you should exhibit at for your particular industry, please let us know – our mission is to help all of our clients succeed!