توجه مدیریت ارشد به نمایشگاه های تجاری و عملکرد شرکت: چشم انداز بازاریابی رابطه ای  Top management attention to trade shows and firm performance: A relationship marketing perspective

1. Introduction The pioneering marketer, John Wanamaker, is credited with stating: “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half!” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wanamaker). Over a century later, this sentiment still captures the dilemma faced by firms in the context of their trade show investments. Business-to-business (B2B) marketers believe skipping trade show events will adversely affect organizational performance, yet they admittedly struggle when asked to make a strong case for their trade show investments (CMO Council, 2013). The Center for Exhibition Industry Research indicates that B2B firms allocate their largest share of marketing dollars (39.2%) to trade shows; dwarfing spending on other forms of promotion (CEIR, 2012). Investment in trade shows is high because participating firms can reap numerous benefits. These include “selling” opportunities such as prospecting leads, nurturing leads, and converting leads into customers, as well as relationship marketing opportunities that include gathering competitive information, building and maintaining brand image, servicing existing customers, introducing and demonstrating offerings, meeting supply chain partners, and exploring potential partnerships and alliances (Gopalakrishna & Williams, 1992; Hansen, 2004; Kim & Mazumdar, 2016; Sarmento, Simões, & Farhangmehr, 2015). Despite these opportunities, 45% of marketers struggle to make a strong business case for their trade show investments (CMO Council, 2013). Essentially, the link between trade show participation and firm performance is unclear (Blythe, 2000; Blythe, 2014; Tafesse & Skallerud, 2017). The current study explores how B2B marketers can improve the return on their trade show investments by examining the role of top management in trade show-related activities, specifically in relation to the ability of trade shows to impact firm value.