Nine lessons from a trade show virgin

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Things I learned last week as a first-time exhibitor at a major online marketing show in London:
  • Based on the state of our booth on arrival, the people who deliver show fittings and equipment were clearly orphaned young and raised by bears.
  • It's best to check-in your soul along with your coat and bags. You don't need it and it's easily lost.
  • Beware the parallel economic universe occupied by trade show furniture, where the rental price on a small stool matches the GDP of Iceland.
  • It is indeed possible to go for up to eight hours without food, drink or oxygen.
  • Double opt-in is great when signing up people to your email program. But it doesn't work at trade shows. Visitors taking brochures from your stand do not expect to be asked "are you sure?"
  • On the journey to the restrooms, keep your head down and avoid eye contact with other vendors. The only alternative is diapers.
  • The best time for approaching visitors is immediately after a keynote seminar has ended. They are still in PPS (post-powerpoint shock), so you can slip a brochure in their bag without encountering resistance.
  • You can never have too many pens, but you can (unfortunately) have too many brochures.
  • When leaving, it is quite important not to confuse the rubbish bag full of unused brochures with the plastic bag full of visitor cards.
Any other tips you can pass on to a trade show newbie?

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[This post brought to you by Campaigner Email Marketing]
Permalink | May 05, 2008 | 5 comment(s)
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5 Comments:

Wear gel insoles in a comfortable pair of shoes, and pay extra for the carpet padding under your booth. Otherwise, you won't be able to walk back to the hotel to get your pain meds.
By Blogger Tim, on 05 May, 2008  
 

Yes! My feet still hurt...
By Blogger Mark Brownlow - Email Marketing Reports, on 05 May, 2008  
 

Try to get a booth near the "happy hour" bar. Besides the obvious benefit, it drives traffic to your booth.

dj at bronto

(Email Insider Summit for you?_
By Blogger DJ Waldow, on 12 May, 2008  
 

Not for me. I'm hoping to get to a conference next year in the US. Not sure which one. But I say this every year and it hasn't happened yet...
By Blogger Mark Brownlow - Email Marketing Reports, on 13 May, 2008  
 

Thanks for this informative post
By Anonymous Trade Show Exhibit, on 18 June, 2009  
 

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