The National Renderers Association (NRA) had a highly successful exhibit at the first VIV China show two years ago and decided to participate again as the structure of the Chinese market is changing and it was felt that the association’s value chain should be repeatedly presented to Chinese agricultural industries, agribusinesses, government officials, and to the general public.
The strategy at the show was to make a brief encounter with visitors educational, stimulating, focused, fun, and rewarding. With the help of Baker Commodities, a personal computer was loaded with 100 questions (50 each related to protein meals or yellow grease) in Chinese. When visitors selected the correct answer, the sounds and pictures of fireworks or hitting the jackpot in Las Vegas appeared on the screen and the winners were rewarded with our appreciation and a token souvenir. But if the wrong answers were picked, an education process followed and the visitors were given NRA literature and lots of encouragement from the staff. The participants had to first leave a business card.
The focus was on aquaculture (protein meals) and hog production (high-nutrient density diets). Visitors showed a tremendous interest in testing their knowledge and were keen to gain new ideas. During the three-day event, approximately 600 visitors took part in the challenge. Indeed, this proved to be an excellent way to convey our message.
Product samples and literature for U.S. meat and bone and poultry by-product meals were prepared, but it was initially thought few would be taken because the novelty of these ingredients might have worn off in China. We were pleasantly surprised as many visitors showed genuine interest in the products and a desire to learn more about them.
The game was a huge success even though the booth was relatively small and not very well located. It proved to be one of the highlights of the show and plans are to use the technique at future shows. NRA sincerely appreciates the support and help from International Market Development Committee members Baker Commodities and Valley Proteins. George Congleton, Baker Commodities, helped to staff the booth and Valley’s regional agent also participated. Once again, we successfully projected a very positive image of the association and U.S. products to the Chinese agricultural industry.
As a postscript, not one single visitor to the booth mentioned bovine spongiform encephalopathy or had a question about this disease.
International Report - June 2002 Render