# Roadshow with live demos or international trade show, which fits

An international trade show gives you reach, meaning many buyers who do not know you yet within a few days. A demo roadshow gives you depth, because you take the equipment to a handful of accounts that are already interested. For a bioprocess equipment maker the answer is usually a mixed calendar, with one major show as the anchor and roadshow stops before and after.

[Web version](https://www.crida.studio/en/insights/guides/demo-roadshow-vs-trade-show/)

By David Monje, crida studio · Published 2026-06-09 · Updated 2026-06-09

## Where to start

### International trade show

If you need new names, are entering a market where nobody knows you yet or are launching a product. Work it with pre-booked meetings and a follow-up plan.

### Demo roadshow

If you already have accounts and open opportunities in a region and what is missing is seeing the equipment run against their own process questions.

## Trade shows give reach, roadshows give depth

The main difference is who is standing in front of you. A show brings a stream of people you do not know, with short and noisy conversations. On a roadshow you pick the list, travel to the customer's city, a distributor's lab or the customer's own site, and the demo can take as long as it needs.

So the useful question is where your accounts are in the buying process. If you still need to find them, go to the show. If you already know them and they are torn between two suppliers, take the roadshow. A small sales team cannot do everything, and the wrong choice also costs your people's time.

## What an international show like ACHEMA gives you

A major show packs buyers from many countries into a few days. According to the official figures, ACHEMA 2024 drew 106,001 participants and 2,842 exhibitors from 56 countries, and for 52 percent of visitors it is the only trade show they attend. The next edition runs from 14 to 18 June 2027 in Frankfurt.

Look at where the audience comes from as well. At ACHEMA 2024, 51.1 percent of participants came from Germany and only 7.4 percent from Southern Europe. If your main market is Germany, it fits. If you are looking for customers in Spain, a local show or a roadshow may pay off better.

![Bar chart of where ACHEMA 2024 participants came from, from 51.1 percent from Germany down to 3 percent from the Americas, with Southern Europe at 7.4 percent.](https://www.crida.studio/recursos/assets/where-achema-2024-participants-came-from.5e208d58d0f1.svg)

Where ACHEMA 2024 participants came from

| Origin | Participants |
| --- | --- |
| Germany | 51.1% |
| Africa, Asia and Australia | 15.9% |
| Western Europe | 13.5% |
| Southern Europe | 7.4% |
| Central and Eastern Europe | 5.7% |
| Northern Europe | 3.4% |
| Americas | 3% |

Share of ACHEMA 2024 participants by region of origin, according to the official figures published by the show.

Source: [ACHEMA, Insights ACHEMA 2024](https://www.achema.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Content/_Storage/PDF/ACHEMA2027/Insights_ACHEMA_2024_Zahlen-Daten-Fakten_EN.pdf)


### What equipment can we take on a roadshow?

Anything that fits in a van and can be set up in a few hours, such as lab bioreactors, benchtop TFF systems, single-use bags and assemblies or the control software on a screen. For production scale, use a 3D configurator, a process animation or a visit to a reference site if the customer allows it.

## What a demo roadshow gives you

A roadshow takes the demo to people who already have a need. A lab bioreactor, a benchtop TFF system or single-use consumables can travel, and the customer can bring their process, QA and procurement people. Production-scale equipment is hard to move, but a 3D configurator or a process animation can explain large scale.

David Monje, founder of crida studio, led marketing at TECNIC Bioprocess Solutions for four and a half years. International trade shows were his test bench there, and he organised TECNIC's presence at the #MEVO 2024 event, with the interactive showroom and the equipment shown in the summary video TECNIC published on 7 May 2024.

[Exploring the Future of Biotech with TECNIC at #MEVO 2024 | An Exclusive Insight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYx1k3LCsQ0) — TECNIC Bioprocess Solutions, YouTube, 2024-05-07

Before choosing between a show and a roadshow, see how TECNIC presented its equipment at #MEVO 2024, with an interactive showroom and expert opinions. From when David Monje led its marketing.


### Can a roadshow replace a trade show?

Rarely in full. A roadshow needs a list of accounts to visit, and much of that list is built at trade shows, through SEO, campaigns and distributors. If you skip a show one year, make up for it with extra effort to find new names, or the roadshow will run out of people to visit.

## Trade show or roadshow, criterion by criterion

The table sums up what changes for an equipment maker. Cost per useful meeting varies a lot from case to case, so work it out with your own numbers, adding up booth, travel, equipment shipping and staff hours, then dividing by the meetings that turned into real opportunities.

How an international trade show and a demo roadshow compare for selling bioprocess equipment

| Criterion | International trade show | Demo roadshow |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reach | Many new buyers from many countries | A few accounts you choose |
| Audience control | Low, whoever walks by | High, only the people you invite |
| Demo depth | Short and noisy | Long, with data from the customer's process |
| Team time | A few intense days plus build-up | Many stops with travel and shipping |
| Buying stage | When the customer is still looking for suppliers | When they are comparing two or three options |
| What to measure | Booked meetings and new opportunities | Opportunities that move forward and quotes |


### How do we work out cost per meeting for each format?

Add up every cost of the format, including booth or meeting rooms, travel, equipment shipping and people's hours, and divide it by the meetings that produced a real opportunity in the CRM. Compare formats on the same basis and over a full year, because equipment sales take months to close.

## A yearly calendar that combines both

A practical option is to make one major show the anchor and build the roadshow around it. Before the show, a few stops to invite key accounts to the booth. Afterwards, stops in the markets that produced the most opportunities, often with the local distributor, who knows the customers and can lend you a room or a lab.

Build one kit that serves everything, with the demo unit, the booth loop video, data sheets in English and in the local language and a twenty-minute demo script. And tag the source of every contact in your CRM, so after a year you can compare what each format actually brought in.


### Should we run the roadshow with our distributors?

In countries where you sell through distributors, yes. They know the customers, can fill the room and will handle the follow-up. Prepare the content and the demo, let the distributor send the invitations and agree beforehand who calls each attendee and by when.

## References

- [ACHEMA, Insights ACHEMA 2024](https://www.achema.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Content/_Storage/PDF/ACHEMA2027/Insights_ACHEMA_2024_Zahlen-Daten-Fakten_EN.pdf)
- [ACHEMA 2027, official website](https://www.achema.de/en)

## The crida perspective

We are a marketing, brand and technology studio based in Girona. We bring identity, content and development together so a digital experience makes sense from beginning to end.

crida studio, Caldes de Malavella (Girona, Spain). David Monje, founder and director.

## Want to split your year between shows and roadshows?

Tell us what equipment you sell, which markets you target and which shows you have planned. We will look at which calendar and demo kit make sense for your sales team.

[Tell us more](https://www.crida.studio/en/#contact)

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