Love wrapping up your day with a glass of Merlot? Does your perfect Sunday involve touring local wineries and vineyards? Is this one of your favorite episodes of I Love Lucy?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, chances are you love and appreciate good wine. 

And you're not alone -- according to the Sacramento Bee, upwards of 11,000 wine professionals are expected to attend the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium at the Sacramento Convention Center in Sacramento, California.  The trade show, which kicked off on Tuesday and will run through the end of today, is "built with the joint input of growers, vintners and allied industry members" and "is the largest event of its kind in the western hemisphere."

Attendees can look forward to a diverse lineup of expert speakers.  According to the trade show's Web site, wine professionals will share information about facing climate change, the state of the industry, and advertising and marketing.  And of course, those attending will also snack on lots of food while sipping from custom wine glasses!

Uniondale is merely a hop, skip and a jump from the Motivators New York office. Uniondale is the home of Nassau Coliseum, home of one of the largest concert halls on Long Island as well as the home of the NHL Islanders. 

In addition to these events, Nassau Coliseum is one of the most frequented tradeshow halls on Long Island. Every year, dozens of tradeshows call Nassau Coliseum its home. The Long Island Spring Home Show is one of the most popular events that is sure to help you out with any home improvement projects you may have lined up for the spring. The admission is free and will feature hundreds of companies that could certainly help you out or give ideas and advice.

If you're a company attending the Long Island Spring Home Show in Uniondale, consider purchasing promotional products to help drive potential clients to your booth.

If you were lucky enough to be one of the more than 10,000 attendees at The 2012 Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) Expo, you know first-hand that the event was an overwhelming success.  During the five-day show, which was held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, over 100,000 new products were introduced to thousands of excited and curious distributors.

According to Promotional Products Business (PPB) magazine, "With a total of more than 18,350 participants, the overall non-gaming economic impact of The PPAI Expo 2012 is estimated at $19,500,000 by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority."  That astounding number highlights the importance of the PPAI Expo to the promotional products industry.

In fact, the PPAI Expo has been dubbed "the industry's show;" it's the only event that brings eager suppliers and well-qualified distributors together in one place.  Paul Bellantone, CAE, president and CEO of PPAI, told PPB magazine that on a global scale, "The PPAI Expo is the best show for the promotional products industry to bring its products and services to market every year." And this year's event was no exception; in fact, according to Bellantone, its success proves that the promotional items industry will only continue to grow.

It's officially trade show season, and exhibitors are understandably excited about showing off their new products and services.  But be careful; lots of companies overspend in preparation for the conventions and attend unnecessary shows with no gain.  Let's go over some common traps that companies fall into during trade show season:

1.  Too much space

According to CBS News, one of the most common mistakes exhibitors make is going too big.  Just because the booth next door to you is impressive in size, doesn't mean that yours is too small. "Money spent to make that booth look as elegant and professional as possible is generally better than money spent for more real estate and all of the additional expenses that come with it," says trade show veteran Michael Hess.  Therefore, instead of renting out extra space, make sure your trade show tent looks presentable and appealing.

2.  Too many representatives

You may be tempted to send multiple representatives from your company to exhibit at the upcoming trade show.  But remember:  The more people you send away from the office, the less work will get done at home.  Plus, expenses due to airfare, meals, entertainment, hotels, and transportation really add up.  Figure out how many people you can afford to send away, and stick to it.

3.  Too many last-minute changes

A big event rarely goes off without a hitch; there's always going to be something someone forgot to do, bring, or say.  But with proper planning, you can avoid making last-minute (and potentially costly) changes.

4.  Too many shows

Of course you want to show off your product or service to as many people as possible, but more shows doesn't always mean more sales.  According to Hess, "You should always question a show that will mainly put you in front of people you see in the normal course of business."  If your reps regularly see the dealers you'd see at a particular show, you might want to spend your money elsewhere.

5.  Too much inaction

Simply sitting at your booth is not the same as "having a presence."  You've got to engage attendees.  How you draw people in is your choice -- perhaps you want to include a sign-up sheet, or maybe you'd prefer to hand out trade show giveaways.  Do whatever you think will get attendees to act.

Before deciding when and where to exhibit, consider the reasons, the expenses, and whether or not you can afford to miss the show.  If attending is absolutely necessary, constantly keep an eye out for ways to cut waste.

Washington, D.C. The capital of the greatest nation in the world. It is also the birthplace of one of the most famous auto shows in the country.

The Washington Auto Show is 750,000 square feet of enjoyment for the car enthusiest. Held at the legendary Walter E. Washington Convention Center, this show includes 37 different local and imported car dealers. The list is rather impressive, includes Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, Land Rover, General Moters and much more. The show also has Ride n' Drive experiences, special guests such as J.R. Martinez and WWE wrestler Randy Orton and activities for chidren. Admission is very inexpensive and you're sure to go home with car-envy.

Promotional transportation stress balls are the perfect item to hand out at this type of tradeshow. There are many different vehicles and designs to choose from - all of which can have include your imprinted logo.

 

Trade shows are the not most environmentally-friendly events. There tends to be a lot of waste and litter. You can't control what other companies do, but you can make sure that yours puts its best (and greenest) foot forward. Here are a few tips for going green at your next trade show:

Reduce
Cut down on paper. You can still make an impression without handing out printed materials. Many exhibitors are now taking advantage of our growing technology with promotional flash drives. You can put your digital brochures and other marketing materials on the drive and customize it with your company name and logo. It accomplishes two goals at once and reduces the use of paper.

Reuse
Most trade shows provide some kind of food, and not all of it is always eaten. Check with the show prior to attending and ask them how left-over food is disposed of. Encourage or even head-up donation to ensure it doesn't go to waste.

Recycle
Nowadays, trade show facilities often have places for exhibitors to recycle and even offer separate compost bins. Look into the available options before the show and put clearly-marked receptacles at your booth to allow visitors the ability to recycle paper, plastic and metals as well as dispose of trash so it does not end up littering the facility's surroundings.

Just try to make greener choices in general. If you must have paper products, try to use those made from recycled materials. If you must have sample spoons or forks, find options that are compostable (not just biodegradable) to reduce the amount of waste produced at the show. And top it all off with eco-friendly promotional products.

When you go green at your next trade show, not only are you doing something good for the environment, but you're also showing your customers and potential customers that you are willing to help reduce your carbon footprint in any way you can.

There seemed to be something off about the holiday season. 

It wasn't how department stores decorated or the type of sales. Rather, it seemed to be a lack of the "great toy of 2011." 

Iconic toys such as Tickle Me Elmo, Mr. Potato Head and even Zhu Zhu Pets have always lef store owners, employees and shoppers very tense about supply/demand. Every year seemed like there was one big toy. This year, despite the surge in online and in-store sales, had no clear victor. 

Luckily, this year's New York International Gift Fair is here to fill the gap. The tradeshow, held at Pier 92 and the Jacob Javitz Center in New York, NY, is chock full of the gifts that didn't see the light of day at Christmas/Channukah/Kwanzaa but are sure to make it big in 2012. You'll find the next in custom imprinted toys as well as some classic items (promotional yo-yo, custom imprinted stuffed animals, etc.)

Gaming enthusiasts are no doubt freaking out right about now, and not in a good way.  A couple of weeks ago, Microsoft (the creator of Xbox) announced that this will be its last year at the highly popular Consumer Electronics Show, where it's served as the event's "anchor company" for over a decade.  This week, Sony also revealed some disappointing information regarding its PlayStation gaming system.  

The Wall Street Journal reports that "Sony said it does not plan on making an announcement about a new home console at this year’s E3 videogame trade show, deflating expectation that a successor to its PlayStation 3 will be on its way soon."  Apparently, Sony asserts that the PS3 has a "10-year life cycle," meaning that gamers should not expect a new promo game console until 2016.

The majority of New York-based trade shows are currently held at Manhattan's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.  The assembly hall ranks only 12th in the nation in size, leaving much to be desired; it's beat out by tradeshow centers in both California and Georgia.  But New York trade shows may soon receive a face lift; last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo unveiled plans to develop a massive new convention center in Queens, NY.

According to the New York Post, Cuomo, who recently called the Javits Center "obsolete," asserts that the area needs a larger convention center in order to compete.  Mayor Bloomberg has also voiced his support for the privately-funded project:  "All of us have agreed that we need a bigger convention center. Could you imagine what we could do if we had a world-class, appropriate-sized convention center?" he said.

The new hall would be built in Queens between New York City's biggest airports.  Meanwhile, the Javits Center, which the San Francisco Chronicle called "too small ... and poorly suited for the kind of bold, glitzy convention center that would be appropriate for Manhattan," would be converted into office space, housing, hotel rooms, and more.

Not only does the initiative have the potential to create thousands of jobs, but it may also draw in more visitors to the New York region.  What's most exciting about the proposed tradeshow center is its sheer size. "Let's build the largest convention center in the nation, period," Cuomo said.  Imagine the amount of trade show giveaways you could collect at a show in the country's biggest convention center!

What do you think -- would a sparkling new convention hall have you visiting New York more often?

After a long workday, its sometimes nice to recline with a nice glass of wine. As of 2005, 29% of Americans admitted they were avid wine drinkers with that number steadily climbing. If you have the tastebuds for it, you'll probably find yourself in Chicago, IL very soon.

For two days in April, the World Wine Meeting of America will take place at the Embassy Suites in Downtown/Lakefront Chicago. The group is organized by wine vendors and suppliers from South and North America. The buyers come from some of the prestigious regions for wine production in Europe so if you want to see some of the finest American (South and North) brands bring your palate here. 

For more information regarding the World Wine Meeting of America 2012 (April 28 - April 30) visit the WWMA website. Be sure to have your custom imprinted barware on-hand.