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These days, many companies are returning to trade shows, which slumped following the terrorist attacks and recession of 2001. Event organizers are reporting gains in revenue, attendance, and the number of exhibitors, and many exhibition halls are expanding, according to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research.

Before the show

An easy screwup: Picking the wrong show
At last count, there were more than 14,000 trade shows held annually in North America. In some industries, the big national shows are all but unavoidable. In others, shows addressing niches draw more attractive audiences. The website TSNN.com provides a comprehensive online directory of trade show data.

When you’ve identified a show that interests you, ask the organizers to provide you with independent audits of the size and demographics of the audiences they have brought in for previous shows. Based on this type of information, for example, Bob Uhle decided to commit fewer resources to the annual Oshkosh Fly-In in Wisconsin. Though the show has always attracted a large number of visitors, the audits suggested that the audience was not filled with people who would actually buy a jet.

An expert strategy: Using teaser gifts to draw crowds
In a 2004 study, researchers at Georgia Southern University found that companies that sent formal invitations with a gift to attendees prior to an event drew larger crowds than those that sent only invitations or invitations with redeemable coupons. Further, the study said that 76 percent of trade show attendees retained a favorable impression of a company that sent them a promotional product. There are myriad gifts to choose from, of course, ranging from mousepads that cost a few cents to T-shirts and flash drives for a few dollars.

Inc