Strategic Innovation

Posted: April 22, 2008

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Aligning Shared Interests
According to Vertical Xchange, while manufacturers acknowledge they could hold these types of meetings on their own, the idea of accomplishing months of work during three days is quite appealing. “These meetings offer the unusual benefit of advance preparation on both sides—no cold calls or ad-hoc discussions,” explained Jill Norton, CTX director, in an editorial commentary.

“The core concept is simple: align motivated buyers and sellers with shared areas of interest,” said Norton. She added that research has shown that travel to trade shows in recent years has drastically decreased and one factor for this reduction is that loud and busy trade show floors are not conducive to meaningful discussions for product development and strategizing.

Several manufacturers have expressed interest in CTX and will serve as a founding board to guide the future of this exchange as it develops. So far, the response has been encouraging.

The industry continues to search for new opportunities to collaborate. Thus, Cosmetics & Toiletries magazine, together with Vertical Xchange, has developed CTX as an innovative tool to help companies discover new ideas and strategize concepts from the development phase to launch on the market. It also will give smaller and less mainstream companies with brilliant, turn-key ideas a chance for some face-time with industry giants.

For more information on CTX, visit: www.cosmeticsandtoiletries.com/events/17743804.html.