Global Interconnect (Gii), has been an active participant in trade shows since 1997. In 2023, Gii continued its presence in the trade show circuit by exhibiting at three major trade show events: MD&M West, BIOMEDevice Boston, and MD&M Minneapolis. This ongoing commitment to trade shows underscores Gii’s dedication to industry engagement and its pursuit of networking opportunities on a global scale.
Learning and networking
Kyle Kruse (VP, Marketing) has attended each trade show where Gii has exhibited. “The purpose is to see existing customers, find new companies looking for improved product solutions, showcase our latest products and capabilities, learn about new technologies and innovations, and network with industry professionals. We have acquired several new relationships from our trade show efforts within the past three years,” says Kruse. “In fact, we have ongoing dialog with over 200 key contacts from our top priority prospects which wouldn’t have been possible without trade shows.”
Creating a strong brand identity
Harley Christensen (Business Operations), has been actively involved as the tradeshow coordinator for the company since 2022 and was able to experience exhibiting at a trade show first hand this year. “I was able to help create the design for our new tradeshow booth,” says Christensen. “We wanted to create a space that was not only easily identifiable, but included our updated products and capabilities to ensure relevancy and accuracy to the conversations we would be having at these events.”
Starting and building relationships
In a recent poll conducted during BIOMEDevice Boston 2023, 48% of the respondents expressed their primary motivation for attending was to identify and establish relationships with new suppliers. While 24% of respondents attend to see existing customers (Figure 1.A). This highlights the pivotal role trade shows play in facilitating networking and fostering business growth within the industry.
Nearly a third of the attendees/exhibitors interviewed at BIOMEDevice Boston 2023, were experiencing their first trade show. Conversely, nearly 30% of those surveyed had accumulated substantial trade show experience, with some having attended 25, 50, and even over 100 shows in their lifetime (Figure 1.B).
Two of Gii’s team members were part of the 30% experiencing their first trade shows this year at BIOMEDevice Boston. Antonio Soto (Project Support Engineer) said, “I am brand new to the medical device industry and having the opportunity to attend BIOMEDevice Boston gave me much more insight and knowledge that pertains to my new job.”
Jen Cullum (Technical Project Manager) stated, “I enjoyed the hustle and bustle of it, as well as meeting so many new people within the medical device industry. This was a great opportunity as a technical project manager to meet with new potential customers and have a chance to demonstrate the level of knowledge and expertise when it comes to managing complex medical device development projects.”
Dedication to industry engagement and growth
“We’ll continue our commitment to trade shows in 2024,” says Kruse. “We will focus on shows that have been successful for us in the past, as well as trying new shows that provide other unique opportunities to get in front of our prospects and customers.”
