The attendees can assess which suppliers should be pursued and eliminate those who do not make the cut. Those decisions to include and exclude are all based on the interactions with the booth personnel.

The booth might "look" fabulous and the lighting might be perfect. The demo may be precise. BUT if the person who is representing the exhibitor is not willing to play their part all could be lost.

The elite few exhibitors who truly understand this concept have a winning edge. In those booths, the personnel are engaging, to the point in their fact finding and can facilitate the dialogue so that it is mutually satisfactory.

As an exhibitor you want to find the prospects that are in charge, have a potential project and the money to move forward in a timely manner. The rest of the prospects need to be assessed to determine the appropriate follow up necessary after the show.

You never know where you might meet your next best customer. It might be in your booth, but it could also be at the lunch counter, cocktail party or some other place on the show floor or conference facility.

The manners, dress and dialogue of the exhibitor personnel must be always "ON" - so as not to miss an opportunity. You are constantly being judged and assess by all of these potential buyers.

On the trade show floor there are thousands of missed opportunities. Adhering to proper booth etiquette will win over many prospects.

You need to make sure all the sales people, engineers and who ever else is in the booth conform to the best standards possible. The foundation of trade shows is bring buyers and sellers together. Show organizers and exhibitors decorate themselves to display their finest in order to attract new customers and maintain current customers.

The statistics from Exhibit Surveys over the years show that 80% of the attendee who are on that show floor are interested in the products and services on display. And almost half have checkbooks in hand, ready to make a purchase.

These facts are wonderful news to the ears of any exhibitor. So if there are that many buyers ready to make a purchase, wouldn't you think they would PREPARE for this occasion?

Well the sad fact is that only a handful of experience exhibitors know the ground rules and have taken the time to prepare carefully for this event.Why are so many exhibitors clueless? One reason is that they have not been given the formula for exhibit success.

They are using the old - fly by the seat of your pants method. In today's economy, that old rule is now null and void. Preparation is the key to exhibit fame and fortune. The plans of success must include: Setting measureable objectives for the show, Preparing the correct marketing message to be given at the show, Creating a solid plan for follow on all leads generated at the show.

This thorough planning will pay off in the form of new revenue to your company. So it is worth the time and effort to explore all details.