There seems to be a great deal of confusion in use of business terms such as free trade zones, export processing zones and Foreign Trade Zones - and that turns out to be a major hindrance when you try to compile a list of free trade zones in the US. Basically, you won't find any free trade zones in the United States of America - but you will find a concept which is quite similar to that of a free trade zone which is referred to as a Foreign Trade Zone in the United States. There is a little bit of difference between the two economic concepts, but broadly speaking they serve the same purpose - creating job opportunities and increasing foreign investment while lending a helping hand to international trade. While Foreign Trade Zones are restricted to the United States of America, the concept of free trade zone is common in the developed countries of Europe. In order to understand the intricacies of the entire matter, you need to understand the basics of each of these concepts of economics.
Free Trade Zone
A free trade zone is an area of the country wherein trade barriers, such as tariffs and quotas, are exempted and government policies, which distort the trade, are relaxed in order to attract new business and foreign investment in the country. Simply put, it is an area wherein the concept of free trade - international trade free of government interference, is followed owing to the various benefits it has to offer. Some of the most prominent benefits of free trade include boost in international trade, healthy business competition, efficient production, larger markets, etc. A concept closely related to free trade zone, free trade area refers to a type of trade bloc wherein the member countries do away with certain trade barriers and trade distorting policies for each other.
Foreign Trade Zones in the United States
A concept which is by and large native to the United States of America, the Foreign Trade Zone refers to the special geographic area in the vicinity of a US Port wherein commercial merchandise can be handled without being subjected to Customs duties and other ad valorem taxes. Other than storing, the traders can also assemble, package, clean, test, repair or destroy their goods in the Free Trade Zone - without having to pay any tax for the same. This relief lowers the cost of US based operations of the international trade - while creating job opportunities and capital investment in the country. That being said, this tariff relief is only available for those goods which are restricted to US Foreign Trade Zones. If the goods are meant to be imported and sold in the US market, they will be taxed as soon as they are out of these free trade zones in the United States.
In a Foreign Trade Zone in the United States, goods are treated the same way as they would be treated outside the US territorial borders. This allows the traders to land and store their goods here without having to pay the import duties on these goods. These trade zones are under the direct supervision of U.S. Customs Service. The lengthy list of Foreign Trade Zones in the United States of America has more than 250 members - which includes some of the most prominent names such as FTZ No. 83 Huntsville, FTZ No. 98 Birmingham, FTZ No. 75 Phoenix, FTZ No. 174 Pima County (Tucson), FTZ No. 50 Long Beach (Los Angeles/ Long Beach), FTZ No. 3 San Francisco, etc. Other than these 250 odd Foreign Trade Zones, there also exist around 450 450 Special Purpose sub-zones in the United States.
That must have given you a rough idea as to what a US Foreign Trade Zone is and helped you get rid of all your myths about free trade zones in the United States of America. You can yourself avail the facility of the Foreign Trade Zone in the United States. Even though each of these trade zones have some stipulations of their own, by and large all of them follow the same procedure.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Trade Show Booth Ideas
Trade shows offer a unique opportunity to various organizations to display their products and services to their prospective clients. Trade show promotions are also an opportunity for businesses to make sales and strike profitable deals. But all this is possible only if the visitors to the exhibition are attracted to a company's booth. For ensuring maximum visits to the booth, businesses have to focus on two things i.e. the booths should look professional and at the same time they should promise fun. How? Let's find out by looking at the below given trade show booth ideas.
Creative Trade Show Booth Ideas
Booth Set-Up
The booth set-up should be such that it displays the professionalism of your company. The booth should be well organized and well run at all times. After all, the visitors at the exhibition are your prospective clients so they should form a good opinion of your company. You may read more on importance of branding. Here are some useful trade show booth ideas vis a vis booth layout.
* The trade show booth table should always be covered with a good quality table cloth as it gives out an upmarket, more official appearance.
* Add your company's logo and name at various places in the booth such as the center wall, presentation board (if you have one) and even on the tablecloth of the display table.
* If there are some products to be kept on the trade show display table, make sure that the larger ones are kept at the back and the smaller ones in the front so that all items are visible.
* Include visual presentations to demonstrate your company's products to your customers. Visual displays always appeal to the visitors more.
* Have the booth properly manned by booth personnel and make sure that they keep their conversations with the visitors as interactive as possible. The more the booth personnel are able to get the visitors involved, the more likely it is that they will go in for your company's products.
* If your booth is big in size, keep a separate conference area where the prospective customers can actually sit and talk with the booth personnel.
* Arrange for necessary things such as pens, notepads, paper tissues, water cooler, dustbins at the booth.
* Have enough stock of your company's pamphlets, brochures or booklets which can be handed over to all the visitors to your booth who want information on your company and your products. To keep this paper stuff organized and more visible, a good idea would be to keep it on a display rack.
* The lighting at your booth should be appropriate. So, invest in your own booth lighting, especially around the displays, even if the hall is well lit.
* Arrange for enough booth personnel so that your booth is never left unmanned. Make sure that the booth staff is trained in dealing with people, friendly and co-operative. You may read further on ideas for trade show exhibit booth themes.
Games and Prizes
One of the best trade show booth ideas that attract visitors is to give away prizes. If you incorporate some fun games and in the end guarantee prizes to all the participants, there is no way that exhibition visitors would let pass such an opportunity. An interesting game that will both help in promoting your company's products as well as in getting visitors to your booth is to plan an easy quiz of your company's products and services. Have the information about your company's products put up on a banner. Do not clutter the banner, just include five to six main points. Have a game show kiosk placed in your booth wherein visitors who have read the information, can proceed to take on the quiz. In the end, keep interesting prizes for visitors who answer all the questions correctly. There are many benefits of keeping such game show kiosks. These can be seen from a distance too and so people who have no plans of coming to your booth or knowing about your products, get lured by the fun and the prizes it promises, plus you get to market your company's products to prospective clients.
Free Gifts
People who attend trade shows, always expect to get some free gifts. This makes trade show giveaways a must. Food gifts such as candies and cookies, wrapped in boxes on which the company's logo and contact information is mentioned is a good option as a free gift. Stationery items such as notepads, pens, etc. and gift certificates which can be exchanged in lieu of your company's products and services are some other options for promotional gifts that you can consider.
One of the most popular trade show booth ideas that is fast catching up is to invite a local celebrity to your booth to pull in the crowds. If you have a budget for this, you can use this strategy as well. Trade shows are a chance for an organization to come face to face, interact and connect with one's future customers. So, do not let go off this opportunity and do whatever it takes (even if it means shelling a few extra bucks) to grab it.
Creative Trade Show Booth Ideas
Booth Set-Up
The booth set-up should be such that it displays the professionalism of your company. The booth should be well organized and well run at all times. After all, the visitors at the exhibition are your prospective clients so they should form a good opinion of your company. You may read more on importance of branding. Here are some useful trade show booth ideas vis a vis booth layout.
* The trade show booth table should always be covered with a good quality table cloth as it gives out an upmarket, more official appearance.
* Add your company's logo and name at various places in the booth such as the center wall, presentation board (if you have one) and even on the tablecloth of the display table.
* If there are some products to be kept on the trade show display table, make sure that the larger ones are kept at the back and the smaller ones in the front so that all items are visible.
* Include visual presentations to demonstrate your company's products to your customers. Visual displays always appeal to the visitors more.
* Have the booth properly manned by booth personnel and make sure that they keep their conversations with the visitors as interactive as possible. The more the booth personnel are able to get the visitors involved, the more likely it is that they will go in for your company's products.
* If your booth is big in size, keep a separate conference area where the prospective customers can actually sit and talk with the booth personnel.
* Arrange for necessary things such as pens, notepads, paper tissues, water cooler, dustbins at the booth.
* Have enough stock of your company's pamphlets, brochures or booklets which can be handed over to all the visitors to your booth who want information on your company and your products. To keep this paper stuff organized and more visible, a good idea would be to keep it on a display rack.
* The lighting at your booth should be appropriate. So, invest in your own booth lighting, especially around the displays, even if the hall is well lit.
* Arrange for enough booth personnel so that your booth is never left unmanned. Make sure that the booth staff is trained in dealing with people, friendly and co-operative. You may read further on ideas for trade show exhibit booth themes.
Games and Prizes
One of the best trade show booth ideas that attract visitors is to give away prizes. If you incorporate some fun games and in the end guarantee prizes to all the participants, there is no way that exhibition visitors would let pass such an opportunity. An interesting game that will both help in promoting your company's products as well as in getting visitors to your booth is to plan an easy quiz of your company's products and services. Have the information about your company's products put up on a banner. Do not clutter the banner, just include five to six main points. Have a game show kiosk placed in your booth wherein visitors who have read the information, can proceed to take on the quiz. In the end, keep interesting prizes for visitors who answer all the questions correctly. There are many benefits of keeping such game show kiosks. These can be seen from a distance too and so people who have no plans of coming to your booth or knowing about your products, get lured by the fun and the prizes it promises, plus you get to market your company's products to prospective clients.
Free Gifts
People who attend trade shows, always expect to get some free gifts. This makes trade show giveaways a must. Food gifts such as candies and cookies, wrapped in boxes on which the company's logo and contact information is mentioned is a good option as a free gift. Stationery items such as notepads, pens, etc. and gift certificates which can be exchanged in lieu of your company's products and services are some other options for promotional gifts that you can consider.
One of the most popular trade show booth ideas that is fast catching up is to invite a local celebrity to your booth to pull in the crowds. If you have a budget for this, you can use this strategy as well. Trade shows are a chance for an organization to come face to face, interact and connect with one's future customers. So, do not let go off this opportunity and do whatever it takes (even if it means shelling a few extra bucks) to grab it.
How to Choose a Trade Show Theme
When companies launch new products, they need to advertise and market them, which is crucial for sales. Before the products even reach the shelves though, there is one important step that cannot be ignored. This step being that the products need to be introduced to the varied suppliers. And how is one to introduce them to the suppliers and consumers who essentially make up the market? That is where the concept of trade shows comes in. This concept was introduced so that there could be a platform whereby organizations could introduce their products to the different sections in the market, with the view of selling or gaining more clientèle. This practice runs on the same lines as that of a trade fair where different companies gather under one roof and display their products by employing varied means like live displays, distributing pamphlets or maybe playing corporate films that define their products.
Some trade shows are organized exclusively for the suppliers while others are open to both clients and consumers. Whatever the nature of the trade show though, the theme that the trade show is set on will go a long way in determining the success of your products and add to the networking as well. In the following article, we will tell you exactly how to bring this through and the points to consider for it to be a success.
Choosing the Right Trade Show Theme - Points to Consider
Why is the theme even more important for the success of a trade show? For one, it sets you apart from your competitors. Two, it draws in more clients and consumers because they are attracted to what you're offering and three, it does not allow the mundane and routine to set in and therefore, keeps you wanting to thrive for more. Think of it as the packing which will allow the consumers and the clients to view your product and learn more about it.
Thus, the way you present your products is very important and that is where the concept of a good theme comes in. How to choose a trade show theme that will ensure success? Consider the following points.
The General Theme
Is there a general theme to the whole fair that you can work with? Sometimes trade shows will give all the participants a common theme to work with. Even though you've been given this theme, try and find ways in which you can stand out.
List the Strong Points
For you to be able to work with the theme at hand, you need to know your product thoroughly and draw out the strong points of the same. These are the points that you need to stress on when coming up with a theme. What is it that you want the clients and consumers to know? Can you bring it out with the theme?
Draw From Your Product
A theme generally works well when there is an all pervasive theme that is running forth. Consider your product and the theme that it can be molded into. Then try and make as much impact as you can with the theme. For example, if your products are summer wear for women, then your theme will be summer. Do whatever it takes to make the summer theme come through. For example, you could replicate a set as a booth theme such that it looks like the beach and you could have your staff wear sun dresses from the collection. You could also offer cool drinks to the clients and consumers to drive the theme home further.
Let the Theme be all Encompassing
When you come up with a theme, try and make it all encompassing. Make sure that you maintain the same theme in all processes of planning - the pre-event advertising as well as the post event advertising. This will enhance the theme further.
Bring in the Interactive Factor
One of the best ways in which a theme is seen to work wonders is when there is the factor of interaction brought in. If possible, include games and other activities which encourage interaction between the consumers, clients and the organizers. Including prizes is also a great way to promote the theme and thereby the products.
These are some of the factors that one should consider when one chooses a trade show theme. A careful study of these points and preparing a theme based on the same will go a long way in ensuring success of your product.
Some trade shows are organized exclusively for the suppliers while others are open to both clients and consumers. Whatever the nature of the trade show though, the theme that the trade show is set on will go a long way in determining the success of your products and add to the networking as well. In the following article, we will tell you exactly how to bring this through and the points to consider for it to be a success.
Choosing the Right Trade Show Theme - Points to Consider
Why is the theme even more important for the success of a trade show? For one, it sets you apart from your competitors. Two, it draws in more clients and consumers because they are attracted to what you're offering and three, it does not allow the mundane and routine to set in and therefore, keeps you wanting to thrive for more. Think of it as the packing which will allow the consumers and the clients to view your product and learn more about it.
Thus, the way you present your products is very important and that is where the concept of a good theme comes in. How to choose a trade show theme that will ensure success? Consider the following points.
The General Theme
Is there a general theme to the whole fair that you can work with? Sometimes trade shows will give all the participants a common theme to work with. Even though you've been given this theme, try and find ways in which you can stand out.
List the Strong Points
For you to be able to work with the theme at hand, you need to know your product thoroughly and draw out the strong points of the same. These are the points that you need to stress on when coming up with a theme. What is it that you want the clients and consumers to know? Can you bring it out with the theme?
Draw From Your Product
A theme generally works well when there is an all pervasive theme that is running forth. Consider your product and the theme that it can be molded into. Then try and make as much impact as you can with the theme. For example, if your products are summer wear for women, then your theme will be summer. Do whatever it takes to make the summer theme come through. For example, you could replicate a set as a booth theme such that it looks like the beach and you could have your staff wear sun dresses from the collection. You could also offer cool drinks to the clients and consumers to drive the theme home further.
Let the Theme be all Encompassing
When you come up with a theme, try and make it all encompassing. Make sure that you maintain the same theme in all processes of planning - the pre-event advertising as well as the post event advertising. This will enhance the theme further.
Bring in the Interactive Factor
One of the best ways in which a theme is seen to work wonders is when there is the factor of interaction brought in. If possible, include games and other activities which encourage interaction between the consumers, clients and the organizers. Including prizes is also a great way to promote the theme and thereby the products.
These are some of the factors that one should consider when one chooses a trade show theme. A careful study of these points and preparing a theme based on the same will go a long way in ensuring success of your product.
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