Make your trade shows fun.

Live entertainment, educational seminars, clowns, puppeteers, and magicians are just a few of tools you can use to make your show fun and informative. Advise your exhibitors not to rely on their products alone to sell show biz experience. Booths filled with inanimate objects are boring and won't capture attention of your audience. However, if you support your exhibitors by injecting a little excitement into show, you'll have attendees in palm of your hand.

Provide lots of comfortable space.

Make sure you have enough space at your show, both on exhibition floor and in booths, to comfortably accommodate your guests. Don't try to cram as many booths as possible into space allotted. A cramped show environment does not allow attendees free rein to wander comfortably, and harried, crowded consumers don't make good customers.

Help your exhibitors design their booths so they don't sacrifice comfort for hardware. Booths that are crowded with display items make it difficult for consumers to focus their attention on each item. Advise your exhibitors to set up their booths so that attendees can see everything clearly in an uncluttered space. Booths should provide good lighting, easy-to-read signage, and attention-grabbing graphics. Consider publishing a brief pamphlet of booth design tips and distribute it to exhibitors.

Inject show biz excitement into your advertising and public relations.

Without resorting to hyperbole, your advertising should reflect excitement, creativity, and flavor of your event. Observe how producers of movies and Broadway musicals advertise their shows and incorporate as many of those elements as are feasible in your own advertising. Every ad you place should showcase opportunities that your show offers.

Train your most trusted show employees to lead media to most engaging exhibits. Have a staff member on hand at all times who can articulately tell reporters about your event and what makes it unique.

Remember you are in show biz, and you must create and promote an event that is as exciting and dramatic as a great movie or play. Your exhibition space is your stage. In order to generate interest, you must put on a performance that will keep attendees riveted to your exhibits and eager to come back for sequel!

3. Assembly or craft work: These programs often require you to invest hundreds of dollars in equipment or supplies. Or they require you to spend many hours producing goods for a company that has promised to buy them.

For example, you might have to buy a sewing or sign-making machine from company, or materials to make items like aprons, baby shoes or plastic signs. However, after you've purchased supplies or equipment and performed work, fraudulent promoters don't pay you. In fact, many consumers have had companies refuse to pay for their work because it didn't meet "quality standards."

Here's catch: In order to get out of paying workers, their work is NEVER deemed to be "up to standard,"--leaving workers with relatively expensive equipment and supplies and no income. To sell their products, these workers must find their own customers.

Legitimate work-at-home program sponsors should tell you - in writing what's involved in program they are selling. Here are some questions you might ask a promoter:

* What tasks will I have to perform? Ask program sponsor to list every facet of job. * Will I be paid a salary or will my pay be based on commission? * Who will pay me? * When will I get my first paycheck? * What is total cost of work-at-home program, including supplies, equipment and membership fees? What will I get for my money?

The answers to these questions may help you determine whether a work-at-home program is appropriate for your circumstances, and whether it is legitimate. To our knowledge, nearly all are scams!

You also might want to check out company with your local consumer protection agency, state Attorney General and Better Business Bureau, not only where company is located, but also where you live. These organizations can tell you whether they have received complaints about work-at-home program that you're interested in.

But be wary: The absence of complaints doesn't necessarily mean company is legitimate. Unscrupulous companies may settle complaints, change their names or move to avoid detection.

If you have spent money and time on a work-at-home program and now believe program may not be legitimate, contact company and ask for a refund. Let company representatives know that you plan to notify authorities about your experience. If you can't resolve dispute with company, file a complaint with following organizations:

* The Attorney General's office in your state or state where company is located. The office will be able to tell you whether you're protected by any state law that may regulate work-at-home programs.

* Your local consumer protection offices. * Your local Better Business Bureau. * Your local postmaster. The U.S. Postal Service investigates fraudulent mail practices. The advertising manager of publication that ran ad. The manager may be interested to learn about problems you've had with company. In addition, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) works for consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357)

Marketing Basics specializes in writing articles that teach, explain and define basic marketing techniques. http://marketingbasics.blogspot.com/