Category Archives: Trade show giveaways

Rethinking Trade Show Swag

I ran into a guy at an airport recently who was hauling two large company-branded shopping bags.  It was clear that he was on his way home from a trade show. Well … it was made even clearer by the … Continue reading

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‘GOT SWAG?’

Ever wondered what happens to all that trade show swag after the last day of the show? Well, here’s what SHOULD happen to it. Continue reading

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“That’s NOT in my Job Description”

This week’s “Hey Newman” blog was to be about ‘going-above-and-beyond, ‘thinking-outside-the-box,’ ‘getting-things-done.’  But instead of speaking about this in the abstract, I decided to invite fellow blogger, Jennifer Canale, to share her recent experience at a small trade show in … Continue reading

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Making Pre-Show Videos is Easier Than You Think

Last week we talked about previewing your trade show blockbuster. Now let’s figure out how to do it …

If you have a phone, you have a camera. If you have a laptop, you have a camera. And of course, if you have a decent camera … well, you have a camera! So there’s no excuse not to record something compelling.

So, when you have it, what do you do with it? Continue reading

Posted in Booth staff, Lead generation & follow up, Trade show giveaways, Trade show news & trends, Trade show presentations, Trade shows & social media | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Have Trade Shows Made You Numb?

The trade show environment is loud. Bright. Flashy. Full of strange imagery and sounds nowhere to be found in the “real world.” (Well … Vegas aside.) It’s enough to overwhelm the senses and dull them to what you’re actually putting before the attendees on the floor—and how that compares to the choices made by every other vendor at the show. If you no longer hear the incessant beeping of badges being scanned, if you’ve gone deaf to the screams of “WHO WANTS A FREE SHIRT?!” … or if you no longer even register the spandex-clad-brand-ambassadors strutting around the show floor, then you may need to rekindle your senses, one at a time.

Stand in front of your own booth and close your eyes. Focus on the sounds from your own personnel and electronics. Focus on the voices and the words of the crowd you’ve gathered. Think about what you hear. Think about what it means for your company and your trade show presence. Next, try a noise-canceling headset and just observe in silence.

Do you want to engage your customers in a conversation? Or do you just want to add to the noise? There’s much you can learn from your own senses … Continue reading

Posted in Booth design, Booth staff, Lead generation & follow up, Trade show giveaways, Trade show news & trends, Trade show presentations | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Want Better Trade Show Results This Year? Improvise.

Be careful that you’re not on autopilot with trade show planning, presentations, marketing and booth design. If you’re just going through the motions and making the safe choices you know will get through the approval process, the specter of “trade show death” is already hovering. I mean, if you’re bored, don’t you think that’s reflected in your trade show presence? Don’t you think attendees can pick up on that tedium and strut right on by? Ennui isn’t exactly a trade show aphrodisiac. Continue reading

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Are You Being ‘Kid Friendly’ at your trade shows?

Many trade shows don’t allow children. But if you happen to be working one that does, you simply cannot afford to ignore that fact. When children are attendees too, all the rules change for the better. It’s easier to grab a group’s attention. It’s easier to start a conversation. And it’s easier to advance that conversation into rewarding territory. Now, your immediate reaction may be, “Hey, you can’t take advantage of the children!” I wouldn’t dream of it. No, my intention is to always captivate the children: Get them excited. Get them having fun. Get them paying attention. Because you know what? The parents will (and often must) follow. Continue reading

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10 Tips to Turbocharge Your Trade Show Booth Staff (Part I)

So much money and time and creativity is spent getting trade show attendees into a booth. Yet a shockingly large percentage of those same exhibitors fail to put equal thought and resources behind what staff should do when people get there. Continue reading

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What the Royal Wedding Can Teach You About Trade Shows

Viewing estimates for the wedding ceremony of Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton, at 11 a.m. British time on the dot, hovered in the three billion range, give or take 500 million. How could you possibly generate this kind of interest in your booth, short of having your Head of Marketing marry your Product Manager? Continue reading

Posted in Booth design, Booth staff, Lead generation & follow up, Trade show giveaways, Trade show news & trends, Trade show presentations, Trade shows & social media | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Tear Down Your Trade Show Booth

We all want a better trade show booth. We all want to be the hit of the show—the booth that has otherworldly magnetic pull and Gorilla Glue on the carpet keeping those attendees stuck in your space. And we all wish there was an easy way to make that happen.

Well, in some ways, there is! Although it might mean having to be a bit brutal with your booth. Continue reading

Posted in Booth design, Booth staff, Trade show giveaways, Trade show news & trends, Trade show presentations | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments