DO TRADE SHOWS PAY OFF

The authors report on the effects of a trade show on incremental sales and profits for a manufacturer of gas chromatographic equipment. Thei r analysis indicates that the show provided positive economic returns to the firm. They also provide evidence that the show had positive eff ects on generating product awareness and interest. Although their rese arch studies a single firm and the effect of a single show, the author s' results indicate that, under carefully controlled conditions, the r eturns from trade show investments can indeed be measured and quantifi ed and that extensions of their approach may have broad applicability.