In this business of wholesale and drop ship e-commerce retail, a valuable commodity to those searching for suppliers is attending trade shows. These events bring hundreds of suppliers together at one venue to display their products and services, giving easy access to those searching for different products, and network within the industries peers and leaders.

        An aspect of Wholesale Match's service is to provide our customers with up to date information on these trade shows and other events.  Serious entrepreneurs can attend and hopefully gain key contacts and also establish a growing relationship with potential suppliers. To find our calender of events simply log in to your account and click on the + sign next to member home and then click on calender of events. This will give you the most current months events listed by date, and usually includes website links and the location of the event.

Here are a few tips when attending a trade show.  

        When attending a trade show you might want to make a plan.  There are a lot of companies and a lot of people to see at these trade shows and it can be overwhelming if you are not prepared. To prepare your self we suggest that you do these things: 

1. Be ready to explain your business needs and what you are trying to accomplish, and create a checklist of questions that you would like to ask each vendor, so that you are easily able to check off whether they do or do not offer what you are looking for.

(Some suggested questions to ask:)

• Would you be willing to drop ship? (*Note: Make sure that if they do drop ship they specify if they require a minimum bulk quantity order, or if they will drop ship one or two at a time.)
  
• Is there a website to view?
• Are there any start up, monthly or drop ship fees?
• Is there a price list for your available products?

2. Carry a folder or a bag to easily file vendors business cards and company information. At the end of the day you could be carrying a lot of paper.

3. Have your own business cards to disperse to vendors so they can identify you.  

        For those of you that are serious about looking for relationships with different suppliers for the products that you want to sell, trade shows are an excellent way to do this.