BEFORE COMMITTING TO a trade show exhibit, first visit at least one show in the same or a similar industry. Pay close attention to your competition?s handiwork and look for unusual and eye-catching displays. Which exhibits draw you in? Why? What makes them stand out from the crowd? Find a way to incorporate those kinds of ideas into your own booth.

While strolling through the show, look for an ally. If you can find a suitable partner, offer to split the cost of a booth at the next trade show. Explore other synergies, such as a trade show pavilion. Is there a large company in your industry that sponsors an area for smaller vendors? Take advantage of these opportunities.

Obtain a copy of last year?s attendance list. Send a targeted pre-show mailing to prospects telling them about your company, your products, and the people who can help them at your booth. Consider including a map and a floor diagram of the exhibit space, showing your location and your booth number. Point out bathrooms, pay phones, and entrances and exits to the building. Include a return mailer that has to be turned in to receive a give-away item or to be admitted to a special briefing. The idea with these tactics is to induce prospects to your booth.

One trade show-savvy paper products firm printed up "free" tickets to a blues club and mailed them to qualified buyers attending a trade show in Chicago. The tickets, actual samples printed on the firm's paper stock, were attached to a product fact sheet. The front looked like a real ticket, but the back featured a marketing message, contact phone number, and key information about the company. Ticket numbers were selected at random and winners received door prizes at the event.

No matter how clever your mailer, some prospects – genuinely interested in your product – will not be able to attend the show. Be sure to offer everyone a chance to request your show brochure or a follow-up call. Going the extra mile to keep in touch could pay off in extra sales.

Be sure to feature your name prominently in all communications, including on your booth. Signage should be simple, direct, and eye-level when possible. Choose fewer and larger pictures rather than a lot of small ones. Include statements about solutions that you can provide and problems that your product can solve.

Consider staging an event to make the experience memorable. Some companies hire magicians to perform at their booths. Others hire attractive women (or handsome men) to walk the show floor and hand out company literature. Celebrities always draw interest. One company even rented a young lion and offered visitors a chance to be photographed with it! Though that may be going too far, it is to your advantage to include any attention-getting devices in your pre-show mailings, show circulars, and other printed materials.

Tech tip: If you don't have a business card scanner, buy one and use it to enter information from your prospects' business cards into your computer. No more retyping all those numbers into your database!

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