Blow your own horn. LOUD. Make a clear and concise list of your product's benefits, and rehearse them until they are second nature to you. (Of course as an effective sales person, you should have done this already). What does your product or service do that's unique? Does it have a 100% guarantee? Will it save money in long run? Is it first on market? Find that selling point and make sure it's visible to passers-bys. It should be visible in your trade show graphics. And it should be prominent in your presentation. Don't just highlight your company name; participants are coming to find that special product or service. "If they see what they're looking for initially, they're going to come to you," says Leslie.

Make your handouts standout. How many times have you seen people toting a canvas bag chock-full of brochures? This material, according Leslie, is likely to become firestarter. People tend to keep things with bulk, such as product samples, cds and other more substantial give aways. He encourages substantial novelty freebies such as yo-yos. If you're not willing to spend money on these types of handouts, at least invest in business cards with a picture or graphic of your product on flipside — a quick reminder of what you had to offer. Cards can be filed away in pockets and wallets. Says Leslie: "That business card will last much longer than multi-colored fold-out material."

When copying or reproducing this article, or parts of this article, please give appropriate credits to Richard Hendershot, www.tradeshow-display-experts.com

Trade Show Tips: Working your trade show booth

First, since she has come some distance to see a number of specific exhibits, chances are she is looking for a familiar name or logo. Don't disappoint. Display your logo prominently near top of display. That way it will be as visible as possible above heads of people standing in front.

The same goes for your "primary product message". Try to boil your product or service down into one or two words that you can focus on. This could be a product logo, especially if it is well known and easily identifiable. But it could also be a two or three word phrase — much like "keywords" used in web pages. If you can't think of anything creative, then just take your primary product and stick an adjective in front of it (or a short phrase behind it) that gives it some "zing"...like this...

Hair Cuts with Class Superior Training Services Hand-Crafted Gifts PopUp Displays with Impact

The objective is to keep it near top of your display, on one, or at most, two lines, where it will get maximum exposure.

So that takes care of top 1/3 or so of your display. The rest should be devoted to enhancing or illustrating "primary product message". Forget about using lots of copy to actually tell people about your product. If show is successful, you will spend most of your time blocking view of your display, and prospects won't be able to see it anyway.

That means you should find one or two large striking images and integrate them into a colorful background. The best designs often use just one large image. In our design section we offer some suggestions and show you some possible layouts.

The important thing to remember is that people are not going to walk up to your display and start reading information on it. That is why a "graphic" approach is much more realistic than an informational approach. If you are considering sticking a bunch of information-intensive graphics on your display because you think that will give you more communication bang for your buck, forget it. It won't. The situation, environment, and motivation are just not right for this to happen. You PopUp is a very specific kind of "bilboard", and it should be treated that way.

When copying or reproducing this article, or parts of this article, please give appropriate credits to Richard Hendershot, www.tradeshow-display-experts.com