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ABSTRACT
The United States woodworking machinery industry can most easily be described as a fragmented mature industry. In order to increase market reach and efficiency of distribution, many woodworking machinery manufacturers have turned to independent channel intermediaries to sell their products. Trade shows have been identified as a major marketing tool throughout the forest products and machinery industries for reaching current and potential customers. However, in order to be effective, show selling must satisfy the information seeking and procurement needs of attendees. This paper provides a comparison of distributor and end-user attendance objectives preceding and following the 1996 International Woodworking and Furniture Supply Fair (IWF '96) held in Atlanta, Ga. Distributor and end-user perspectives are studied in terms of the importance of their trade show attendance objectives (measured before the show), and the perceived success of the show in achieving these objectives (measured after the show). For trade show exhibitors, the effectiveness of trade show efforts can be enhanced through a better understanding of buyer behavior in order to devise a more focused approach to selling that is best adapted to each type of attendee. The results of this study provide evidence of significant differences in buying and non-buying objectives between channel intermediaries and end-use customers.
United States consumption of woodworking machinery was estimated at $1.6 to 1.8 billion in 1996, including approximately $470 million generated by imported foreign-made machinery (25). U.S. production of woodworking machinery has traditionally lagged behind the production of Germany and Italy; however, in recent years Taiwan has surpassed the United States as the third largest manufacturing nation of woodworking machinery (9). The continued success of the domestic woodworking machinery industry is not only of great concern to manufacturers of this machinery, but to the buyers of machinery as well. A strong woodworking machinery industrial base has been identified as a determinant source of competitive advantage for a nation's subsequent manufacturing industries through collaboration on machinery needs, manufacturing techniques, shared investment, and apprenticeship training programs (22). U.S. woodworking machinery manufacturers are often competing in global markets against entrenched and oftentimes subsidized foreign machinery manufacturers who partner with their home country wood products industries within flexible manufacturing networks. Given this increased global pressure, the ability of U.S. woodworking machinery manufacturers...