A trade show is one of the few places where you can meet a dozen potential distributors in two days. Many of them are not walking the aisles looking for new lines. They are exhibiting, working their own booth, and meeting their own customers. That makes them easy to find on paper and hard to reach in person, unless you plan ahead.
Start with what a good distributor looks like for you
"We want more distributors" is not a target. Before you open the exhibitor list, answer three questions:
- Territory. Which regions or countries do you need covered, and where are you already strong?
- Customer. Who does the distributor need to sell to? A distributor that serves national chains is a different partner from one that serves independents.
- Line fit. What should they already carry that makes your product an easy add, and what should they not carry, because it competes with you?
A good distributor target sounds like this: "Foodservice equipment distributors in the Southeast who sell to independent restaurants and don't carry a competing oven line." That sentence will do most of the filtering for you.
Use the exhibitor list, not the aisle
Distributors that exhibit usually show up in the list under categories like distribution, dealers, or services, but not always. Some list themselves by the product categories they carry. Go through the list with your target in mind, visit each company's website, and check three things: where they sell, who they sell to, and which brands they already represent.
Keep a short list with a sentence next to each name explaining why your line fits. If you cannot write that sentence, the distributor is not a fit, no matter how big they are.
Find the person who decides
At a distributor, new lines are usually decided by an owner, a principal, a purchasing or category manager, or a vice president of sales. The staff working the booth may be excellent salespeople but rarely have the authority to add a line. Your introduction should go to the decision-maker, and the meeting should include them.
Write an introduction built around their business
Distributors hear from manufacturers constantly. The ones they answer make it obvious what is in it for the distributor:
- Why them, specifically. Name their territory, their customer base, or a line they carry that yours complements.
- Why it's easy. A product that sells to the customers they already have, with a gap in their current catalog.
- A small, concrete ask. Twenty minutes at their booth or yours, on a specific day of the show.
Leave out the product catalog, the price list, and the history of your company. The goal of the first message is a yes to a short conversation.
Go into the meeting prepared
Bring a one-page brief for whoever is taking the meeting: who the distributor is, who you are meeting, why the fit makes sense, and the first question to ask. A good opening question is about their business, not yours: "Which categories are your independent restaurant customers asking you for that you don't carry today?" You can see an example brief here.
After the show, follow up within a few days while the conversation is fresh, with the specific next step you agreed on.
Or let us do the legwork
Finding distributors at a show is exactly what Exhibit Meetings does. We research your show's exhibitor list for distributors that fit your territory and customers, write the reason for each match, introduce you personally with both sides copied, and put confirmed meetings on your calendar. It is free for the distributor, which is a big part of why they say yes.
If your show is six or more weeks out, book a 15-minute call and we will tell you honestly whether we see enough strong distributor targets on the list.
