Ukrainian SMEs from southern Ukraine learned to present their products at tradeshows

The International Trade Center (ITC) continues to assist Ukrainian small and medium-sized enterprises in production and processing of vegetables and fruits.

The project “Linking Ukrainian SMEs in the Fruits and Vegetables Sector to Global and Domestic Markets and Value Chains”, includes many workshops and trainings for business. In the past months, a number of training seminars for local businessmen was conducted in Kherson and Odessa. Seminars were about modern approaches to trade in fruit and vegetable products, certification standards and food safety, analysis and practical application of market analysis tools offered by ITC.

One of the recent events was dedicated to raising the payback of investment in tradeshows through proper training, participation in tradeshows and a range of further actions. Jim Krigbaum, an expert on development, trained in Kherson and Odesa.

In the 1990s, the author owned and operated an export marketing company that for decades exported US food products more than $ 100 million to the United States. In 1997, Mr. Krigbaum founded a consulting company to help others succeed in business and in international markets.

Jim Krigbaum’s training was aimed at two target audiences: for trainers who hold their own seminars in the field of agriculture, economics and marketing, as well as representatives of the fruit and vegetable sector involved in production and processing.

During a meeting with coaches, Jim told about the peculiarities of work with different audiences, the preparation of a conference room, the use of visual means in presentations, and the ability to set up dialogue in the audience. The main advice from Jim is to be creative, not to be afraid of listeners and hard questions. “You need interaction, not aggression! As a speaker, you need to maintain impartiality among listeners, ensuring that communication takes place correctly and within the working schedule”, says Jim Krigbaum.

During the training for producers and processors of the fruit and vegetable sector, Jim raised several important. Jim told how to understand if your company is ready to export its products, how to choose “your place” in the market, to choose the right fairs and prepare for the presentation of their product.

In addition, the participants talked about the secrets of advertising and promotion of the brand, the creation of pricing policies, the choice of potential customers, cooperation with trading networks and features of markets in different countries. However, before presenting his products at tradeshow, Jim advises to conduct SWOT-analysis.

“To succeed at the tradeshow, you need to identify the elements of your SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) for your product. Before you go to the tradeshow, perform a SWOT analysis for each product you want to submit to it. SWOT allows you to evaluate your products from the perspective of all parties – the manufacturer, the exporter, the customer and the end consumer”, says Jim.