In our final installment from the blog of a trade show manager of a Fortune 500 company, some advice on hiring a trade show magician. He had seen 2 top pros, but hired someone else because they were less expensive.

"Don’t make the mistake I made by hiring someone who under charges and under delivers. Equally, be cautious of someone whose rate is astronomically out of whack with the competition. Although rate should be important to any prudent shopper, my advice would be - don’t make a decision based on rate alone. For what you spend on graphics, sponsorships, even carpeting, the magician is comparably cheap – especially considering the exposure he brings you.

The magician wil...

To recap, below is a blog on trade show magicians that went viral some time ago, but continues to attract visitors to this website. The unknown writer describes seeing two highly effective trade show magicians serving as outstanding exhibit attractions at NOMDA. When he contacted them about working for his company, he was initially put off by what seemed to be the high price of their services (he admits that "sticker shock" distracted him completely from what a success the magicians were at the trade show).

"I dismissed the idea of hiring a magician and another three or four months had passed. Then, while attending a customer function I encountered another magician. He was walking around the...

I love Mopro - they built my site, did a great job, and continue to try to help me market myself in the online universe into which I was not born. As a non-native, I need all the help they can give me. Recently, I used a feature from them to see where visitors to my site discovered me; what websites and google searches they used to find Thin Air Productions.

Surprisingly, one major source was a blog from 2011 which, as far as I can tell, is now inactive. If you want to skip to the end and read the blog in it's entirety, just Google a line from the excerpt below and it will take you there. For those who want to experience the spell-binding suspense of reading it in serial form, here is the fir...

Last post, we discussed what physical (visible and material) aspects of an exhibit attract the attention of attendees. At least as important are how behavior and demeanor also serve as powerful lures to would be clients. Trade show staffers require vibrancy, solid interpersonal skills, and sound product and industry knowledge. It isn't any fun to interact with staffers who are uneducated on the business they’re selling. Enthusiasm is important and a powerful agent for success.

An article at trade-show-advisor.com (http://www.trade-show-advisor.com/exhibitions.html) discusses the emotional labor of managing one's game face as a trade show booth staff member. Trade shows can be hard work ...

With so many qualified prospects at trade shows, first impressions are important -especially if those impressions are going to last in the minds of your prospects. Just like in the retail world, your products or services have to be represented in a way that is compelling and memorable.

According to Trade Show Advisor there are two types of interaction. The first type is based solely on judgements made because of the appearance of your exhibit. The second is a "behavioral component" that reflects how visitors and trade show workers interact with one another. We’ll deal with the behavioral component next blog.

Tons of research exists on what makes the physical appearance of an exhibit attr...

In an article by Tim Asimos at Circle Studio, many in B2B sales find in-person events (like trade shows) to be the most effective marketing tactic. It is, however, imperative that trade show marketers have a strong, basic strategy in place to generate a substantial ROI.

Tim Asimos at Circle Studio points out the common imbalance at trade shows; half of the booths are attracting large crowds while the other half seems to be dead in the water.

Below is another way to make sure you are in the first camp.

Ride the buzz.

One of the advantages of planning far in advance is that it leaves you time to build a good buzz about your booth. But building that buzz from scratch takes months. As Gary Vaynerchu...

In an article by Tim Asimos at Circle Studio, many in B2B sales find in-person events (like trade shows) to be the most effective marketing tactic. It is, however, imperative that trade show marketers have a strong, basic strategy in place to generate a substantial ROI.

Mr. Asimos points out the common imbalance at trade shows; half of the booths are attracting large crowds while the other half seems to be dead in the water. Some companies reap generous rewards by exhibiting at trade shows, but many head home wondering if it was just a waste of time and money.

Below you'll find the first three suggestions for optimizing your trade show strategy. The others will follow shortly.

1. Clearly define...

The common imbalance at trade shows is that half of the booths are attracting crowds while the other half seems to be empty.

How do you reach the most people in the limited time of a trade show?

Showmanship to the rescue.

A professional presenter doesn't just deliver your sales message, he or she adds credibility if you are a newcomer to the industry, or in a small booth. A professional presenter (or trade show magician) is well trained in delivering your message with clarity and polish. And, he or she will do this with energy and enthusiasm for the whole show. Not only that, as Tim Asimos reminds us, you're giving your staff something to talk with visitors about. Relieving your staff of the ta...

Magic is about to become the hottest ticket in LA! http://preview.tinyurl.com/zk4uhoc

Investing in trade shows makes sense. Study after study show the increased sales efficiency and cost savings from exhibiting are without question.