When it comes to generating business leads at this year’s Dubai Airshow (DAS), U.S. exhibitors will have an extra advantage over their competitors. In partnership with Sourcehere.com, the global supply chain networking platform, USA Partnership Pavilion organizer Kallman Worldwide will produce a digital show directory to connect more international buyers with U.S. suppliers on-site and online before, during, and after the show.
Sourcehere supports thousands of B2B suppliers and buyers around the world with interactive tools and utilities — including direct messaging — to meet, conduct business, and build trade relationships anywhere, anytime. The company launched in 2022 with a focus on trade shows, capitalizing on spikes in market interest around events such as DAS to demonstrate its robust, 24/7/365 platform as an alternative to traditional printed show guides.
It’s a good fit for Kallman, whose trademark Pavilion is recognized around the world as the hub of American business at many of industry’s most important international trade events. The company’s portfolio of exhibitor services, custom stand building, supply chain support services, and workforce advocacy programs further solidify its reputation as an enterprising partner beyond simply managing floor space in exhibition halls.
For Pavilion exhibitors, Sourcehere extends their reach in target sectors and adds measurable year-round marketing visibility. And for companies that aren’t exhibiting yet, the platform offers an inexpensive, cost-effective way to dip their toes in the trade show pool online before diving into a live show overseas.
“Trade shows have always been our core strength, but we’ve never thought of ourselves as just a trade show company,” said Kallman Worldwide President and CEO, Tom Kallman. “Since my father started the company in 1963, we’ve been advancing global trade, connecting suppliers and buyers wherever, whenever, however we can. Their business is a year-round conversation punctuated by trade events, and so is ours.”
As the pandemic recedes and trade shows rebound, Kallman’s schedule of events is an emphatic testament to resilience. The company is currently contracted with 47 events in 27 countries to support more than 3,600 exhibitors with Pavilions on-site and an extended show presence online.
“The pandemic was an epic wake-up call to exporters everywhere, and the lessons we learned from the experience made us an even more valuable partner to suppliers and buyers alike,” said Kallman. “When shows were suspended, technology gave us the tools to stay connected in the short term and add capabilities to come back from COVID even stronger. Best of all, when the dust settled, none of it was at the expense of the live, often spontaneous face-to-face meetings that have been the foundation of global trade since the beginning of time.”
As Sourcehere establishes its value on the trade show floor, it’s also building equity with a wider circle of stakeholders and influencers in event communities, such as the American Chamber of Commerce in Dubai.
“For American companies with business interests in the UAE and throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, it’s important to have a local presence,” said AmCham Dubai Executive Director, Cara Nazari. “As a supply chain networking platform, Sourcehere gives U.S. participants at trade events in the UAE, many of whom are also our members, an extended competitive advantage in the local business conversation.”
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