By MICHELE F. MIHALJEVICH
Indiana Correspondent

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Getting the opportunity to reconnect with their customers is a primary reason longtime exhibitors say they keep returning to the Fort Wayne Farm Show.

Fifty-six companies have been exhibitors at the show each year since it started 22 years ago, according to Fred Cline, a show director for Tradexpos, which produces the annual trade show.

“It’s the only show we cannot afford to pull out of,” said Buddy Funk, a sales specialist with Bobcat of Fort Wayne. “We’ve never been to a farm show where we didn’t sell at least five machines.

“But the main thing for this show is not selling. That just comes with it. It’s a chance for us to meet with farmers and other customers, and visit with them.”
The show also gives the company the chance to promote its other services, such as repair, to customers, he added.

Informing current and potential customers about other services the company offers is important for business, said Marilyn Wiles, controller with Bobcat of Fort Wayne.

“Getting sales or leads is our first objective, but seeing customers is a very close number two,” she noted. “The thousands of people who go to the show are not going there just to buy. We want to remind them of our services and talk about the support they get from the dealership.”

A couple of years ago, during the early part of the economic downturn, the company tossed around the idea of cutting back on the space they rented each year at the show, but ended up deciding against that idea, Wiles said.
“You don’t cut corners when something is truly beneficial to you. We want to be able to present our equipment as attractively as possible,” she added.
The company uses the farm show to introduce new models, and always tries to take products that would appeal to those working in agriculture and to homeowners, Wiles explained.

The Fort Wayne show is a draw to Rupp Seeds, of Wauseon, Ohio, because of its location, said Phil King, marketing and communications manager with the company.

“It is in a fairly good spot in our marketing territory,” he noted. “They draw from Michigan, and get a good draw from Ohio and Indiana. It’s well-situated for our market.”

The company uses the show to generate leads and keep in touch with customers, King said, adding Rupp representatives generally take literature and the company catalog, which features their grain and forage products, to the show.

“We do see a lot of familiar faces at the show. Being a family-owned and independently-owned company, we have genetics to offer from a wide variety of sources. The show also helps us increase the brand awareness,” he explained.

Mutton Power Equipment of Fort Wayne became an exhibitor for the farm show’s first year because its manager at the time liked the idea of staying in contact with customers away from the showroom, said Jim Mutton, the company’s owner. Many of Mutton’s customers attend the show, and the company has had good leads and success over the years from the show, he said.

“That one-on-one contact is important,” he added. “Our primary goal is to find prospects and convert those to sales. Over the years, there have been some disappointing years, but the last couple have been good. There are other shows that we don’t go to because we just aren’t very successful at those.”
In past years, Mutton’s has taken utility tractors with 30, 40 or 50 hp, generators and chain saw products to the show.