Experience of attending exhibitions in the world's most lucrative market
Why don’t Vietnamese companies participate in exhibitions in the world’s most lucrative market? I don’t have an answer. But here is Dh Foods’ experience, which I hope will help those of you who want to participate but are still hesitant:
1. Visa application: Many people think that applying for a US visa is very difficult, right and wrong. Right because the consulate staff can immediately reject the visa for any reason. Therefore, you should hire a service, it costs a few million per person and they prepare full documents, train you how to answer the interview. My group of 4 people went, the longest interview took about 5 minutes, the shortest (me) took about 1 minute, the consulate agreed to accept and 1 day later the VISA was sent to the company.
2. Choose the right exhibition: You need to choose the exhibition that is suitable for your industry. For food, the largest is Natural Product Expo West at the Anaheim Convention Center, California (right in the heart of Disney Land).
3. Prepare goods: Goods brought to exhibitions need to be prepared in large quantities to give to potential customers. You need to prepare products that suit the tastes of the potential customer groups you are targeting in the US (Vietnamese group, Asian group or indigenous group). Dh Foods has more than 100 products so we prepare for all 3 customer groups, but focus on the sauce group, rarely bring salt or dry spices.
4. Check information and prepare necessary documents when entering the US: In addition to the information prepared online, our group also printed out a set of documents to bring with them (vaccination certificate, confirmation from the exhibition organizer, payment receipt for participation in the exhibition, confirmation from the hotel. In addition, we also have a confirmation from a partner in the US, supporting Dh Foods during the fair on logistics...).
5. Luggage to bring: In addition to personal luggage (need to be neatly packed so that when customs asks to check the suitcase, it won't be scattered when opened), we also bring samples for the exhibition to save money). Note: Do not bring food, meat, seafood, fish, shrimp, fruits, tubers... things that are prohibited by US customs (check the information in advance).
6. Entry: You are going to the exhibition and have prepared well, so stay calm when standing in front of the Customs counter. Remember not to talk, not to look around, not to wear sunglasses and confidently answer the questions of the US border guards. You should remember that even if you have a visa, any border guard has the right to refuse you entry into the US and without giving a reason, simply send you back to the "production" place on the nearest flight. Some people in our group asked a lot of questions like what you are doing, where you are staying, what your company in Vietnam does, your position in the company. As for me, I was asked only 1 question and let it go, simply because I saw an old man with a white beard and hair going to the exhibition so I didn't have the heart to ask too many questions.
7. US Customs: To get through customs smoothly, as I mentioned above, avoid bringing food and drinks that are not packaged industrially, avoid bringing items containing meat, fish, seafood, fruits, vegetables... And you should buy proper suitcases to hold your goods, do not pack them in cardboard boxes. Our group of 4 people, each with 2 large suitcases and 1 small suitcase, pushed 4 huge carts through customs without them asking a single question.
8. Tables, chairs, and equipment for the exhibition booth: In addition to the booth rental fee (as expensive as Europe and twice as expensive as ThaiFex), if you rent tables, chairs, or booth decoration services, the organizers will "cut" you a lot. You can ask an acquaintance or hire someone to buy folding tables, chairs, and shelves at IKEA to bring to the exhibition, then throw them away after the exhibition, it is still cheaper than renting from the organizers.
9. On-site support service: America is vast and the distance from one place to another is very far. You should hire a local person who is familiar with the area and preferably has a driver's license and rent a car to take the team to exhibitions, markets, restaurants every day... It's convenient, cheap and saves time waiting to book an Uber or Lyft.
And the "sweet fruit" from constant efforts
Dh Foods has reached many potential customers that if they just sat in Vietnam and sent emails, they would never have been able to reach them. Among all partners, signing just one contract is enough to make you successful, and I believe Dh Foods will sign more than one.
Going to survey supermarkets, unfortunately there are not many Vietnamese spices, except for a few Vietnamese supermarkets.
The largest food exhibition in the US, but only a few Vietnamese companies, so sad. Hopefully next year 2024 (Dh Foods will continue to participate) there will be more Vietnamese food manufacturers participating.
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