January 15, 2014
by Ken Newman, guest blogger
Several years ago, at a trade show in Las Vegas, I was strolling the aisles during the setup/rehearsal day, and happened to pass a very large booth. In that large booth was an enormous theater area with a small thrust stage, about 80 seats, three pipes loaded with stage lighting, an impressive sound system, and a full complement of crew people wandering around looking…well, like crew people.
Although at this particular moment, this crew was in a panic.
Not being the type of person who can ignore drama, I asked one of the tech guys what was going on.
Ken Newman, trade show presenter and magician
“Well,” he explained to me impatiently, “the speaker up there is delivering a presentation and it’s being fed to her earprompter by a disk player, and well, her receiver has a micro-stereo plug and we need a mini-stereo plug. And there’s no place open to buy one, and well…we’re screwed.”
“Ah,” I said. “I think I can help.”
“Oh yeah, RIGHT. I’ll bet! What’d ya pack… a soldering iron??”
“No,” I said. “I have a bag full of adapters. And if you’re a little nicer to me, I might just let you have one.”
While he was sputtering away, I opened a small emergency kit I always carry and pulled out a ziplock bag full of adapters. (I’m a bit of a geek that way.) I found the one he needed and held it out to him.
“Oh my God. That’s it. That’s…that’s… I can’t believe you HAVE one !”
“Yes I do,” I offered. “And for $500, it could be yours.”
I let him sweat for a second, then handed it to him with my business card and told him to get it back to me at the end of the show. I also told him to enjoy being the hero of the day.
Which, FINALLY, brings me to my point:
PUT TOGETHER A TRADE SHOW TOOLKIT AND BRING IT TO EVERY TRADE SHOW.
It doesn’t need to be quite as esoteric as mine, but you can be a bit of a trade show hero yourself by having some basic supplies to get you through the inevitable surprises or disasters at your next show.
Here’s a starter list, in no particular order:
Packing Tape
Scissors
Band Aids (first aid kit)
Aspirin / Pain Relievers
Pens (lots of them…they walk away)
Note Pads
Post-Its
Highlighters
Stapler
Staple Remover
Extra Lead Sheets (more than you think you’ll need)
Digital Camera
Business Cards (you’d be surprised how often these are forgotten)
Paper Clips
Rubber Bands
Nail Clippers
Breath Mints
Chap Stick
Sewing Kit
Velcro (Get a roll of the hook and a roll of the pile. This stuff can SAVE you.)
Screwdrivers
Instructions for Return Shipments
Shipping Labels for Return Shipment
Extension Cords
Facial Tissues
Glass Cleaner
Cloth / Paper Towels
Duct Tape (easily 101 uses just at a trade show alone)
The right cables to connect laptops to displays (This from a recent disaster that I might write about someday.)
A small vacuum cleaner, carpet sweep (You can’t always depend on the exhibit hall crew to get to your booth in time.)
I’m sure I’m forgetting something. So feel free to add to the list as you see fit.
Author’s Note: At the end of the show, my new friend returned my adapter in a little bag attached to a VERY nice bottle of champagne. Now THAT’S a class act…
This post was written by Ken Newman of Magnet Productions and originally published in Magnet’s “Hey Newman” blog. It was reprinted with permission from the author.
Visit “Hey, Newman” for more insights on surviving your trade shows and maximizing your booth ROI.
To reprint this blog on your site, please contact Ken Newman.
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Tags: trade show booth ideas
2 comments
by Trevor McAlpine | July 24, 2014 at 11:31 am
Brilliant.
Simple, effective, and yes, I did make one and use it.
I impressed my “neighbor” on my very first show with how prepared and organized I was when I was able to help him out of a jam.
Also, it helped ME out of several small jams as well … 🙂
Like with anyone who does lots of travelling, another secret is to buy an extra of everything and KEEP it in the kit. There is no guarantee you will always have time to run around and prepare one before every trade show or have the list handy, etc.
by Andy | July 24, 2014 at 9:19 pm
Thanks Trevor! Great idea and we appreciate you reading and responding.