Love on Aisle

Disgrace. Waste, Shame. Get your brain from the gutter. This is neither a steamy romance or an even steamier illusion. This is about the love of trade show supplies and why you, me, or anybody else attends them.Over the years, I've read more articles than I'd care to acknowledge about why trade shows are necessary, why present advertising is beneficial, and why we SHOULD attend them. They make sense, in the exact same way that getting vitamins makes sense. On some level you know it can not harm and it's great for you, even though you can't always measure the results. I might give you the typical sales and advertising reasons to attend, but I will not.Instead, I will sharenine reasons why I attend trade shows. It may not beas informative, but it'll be considered a lot more interesting.Reason #1: I have to. I work with a trade show exhibit developer and producer. Even worse, I co-manage the business so I can maybe not even pretend to dislike trade shows, even if I did. That we don't. (Just in case my boss reads this, let me repeat, "I appreciate participating trade shows!" )Reason #2: I arrive at see friends, family, and acquaintances. That is a large deal if you ask me. Until about couple of years ago, my brother lived in Nevada. Attending a trade showin Vegaswas a reason to see my cousin. This past year when TS2 was in Philadelphia, I'd dinner with my old college roommate. Mostly, I get to see industry suppliers and colleagues whom I have known for years. Because I do not travel quite as much as I used to,the shows are a justification to talk about business and politics, have a or two, and rumor, understand, and enjoy.Reason #3: Competitors. They're there, just like you, with the latest and greatest. You get a sense of what route they are headed, even if you don't arrive at see most of the whiz-bang neat stuff. Are they moving upstream? Downstream? Are they buying R&D? Who's hanging out inside their unit this year? That's maybe not? I never understand why businesses restrict their staff to speak to opponents. Naturally you've to be clever in what you do or don't share, but from my knowledge, most competitors are pleasant, and the findings, experiences, and lies you share are at worse safe and at best educational. And to those not so helpful opponents.. . .your paranoia may shortenyour life by about 10 years.Reason #4: I enjoy walking the present floor becausethere are so many individuals with encyclopedic knowledge about an industry. I attended my first trade show in 1994, about a month after beginning since the advertising director for a show producer. The master, a man who knew everybody else at the show, introduced me from what looked like hundreds of people. As we walked the display, he shared his knowledge about the market, the background of the different firms, and the features and benefits of the goods. What I learned by walking the show, both on my own, personal and with him, squeezed my learning curve by a good year. I really could have never gotten exactly the same data without joining theshow.Reason #5: Ink pens. My spouse is just a author. She loves pens, all kinds of pens, but primarily fat pens. I report major factors whenever I buying 3-4 low priced trade show pens, particularly if they have some kind of device (and are fat ).Reason #6: Trade shows are a fantastic buffet of new ideas. How will you perhaps not be pleased by the combined imagination? Whether it is EuroShop in Germany or the local Business-to-Business show by the Chamber, I find new products, companies, displays, mementos, and people. Even when I'm not looking for something specific, I frequently find something worth using after the present that'll benefit our business or our clients. Would a virtual trade show provide same experience? Possibly, but I doubt it.Reason #7: Customers. Trade shows certainly are a lot like annual staff performance reviews. There must be no surprises, unless they're positive. If you hate participating your yearly industry trade show because of consumer problems, then your business is in serious trouble. I attend for the opposite reason. Like Reason no 2, I must say I enjoy meeting customers, talking about their businesses, learning about the difficulties within their markets, and reading about their lives. I am aware it's a, but shaking someone's hand and looking them in the attention changes everything. Positive there can be a adverse here and there, but it is mostly all good. Over time I will only count a few times, working with numerous organizations, that I didn't leavea present feeling upbeat.Reason #8: Hotel/Motel Toiletries. Really, I do not really care about the shampoo or the conditioner, but I hoard the tiny dramas. I'm low priced, but that is maybe not the reason. The liquid soap can't be stood by me at the gym where I am an associate, and over the years I have probably left over a bars of soap at the gym because I am absent-minded. The mini-motel soaps are ideal. I do not care if I keep them, and I've number brand preference.Reason #9: Potential Customers: Next to talking with existing customers, potential customers are my personal favorite purpose to take part in trade shows. You're able to see your organization and your unit through their eyes. Is your service and product strongly related them? What interests them? What have they observed at the show that interests them? What does the future hold for them? For you? Quite a few participants are just carnival barkers with an increase of teeth and less visible tattoos. They would like to close the sale, perhaps not create a relationship. That is unfortunate because nobody desires to be bombarded at a display. Learn" and "listen is my mantra at every show.