Put on your promotional trade show badge and join the techie parade at this weekend's SXSW Interactive in Texas. The event, held March 12-16, welcomes the brightest minds in technology to come together and share their knowledge. It's unique to the techno and trade show world, because this is no ordinary event; its' both a conference to share knowledge and a festival to celebrate music and entertainment. That's an event I'd love to check out!
         
It was only two years ago that Twitter made its claim to fame after being showcased at the event and now the talk is of what the next trend may be. There's one trend that I'm eager to follow; the SXSW trade show giveaways. Will promotional electronics be all the rage or will go green products take charge?

One item I'm interested in following is promotional stickers. Attendees bring their laptops to conferences and use their collected stickers to dress them up. It's a great way to show their support for particular companies they network with or learn from. 

Throughout the packed conference room I can picture Twitter logos, Apple logos and beyond forming a massive collage over every laptop. But will promotional stickers be as successful this year? I don't believe so.

In the past year, the demand for and use of smartphones escalated. My guess is that many of the SXSW attendees will be smartphone clad and laptopless. With information at your fingertips, in the palm of your hand, laptops aren't as necessary. Infact, this years logo puts the focus on a smartphone- but no laptop is in sight. 
                                        
So what does this mean for stickers? Will they be no more? Perhaps we need to put them all in a shrinking machine. Maybe we'll see that invention at the 2011 SXSW.

A wedding is supposed to be the most important day of your life. Family and friends join together to celebrate the life journey of their loved ones. But as seen on shows like Bridezilla, weddings can become very stressful. Wedding trade shows help to make the process of selecting flower arrangements, caterers, wedding favors, and wedding decorations easy.
               
That's why thousands of people signed up for "The Boston 411 Bridal & Home Show 2010," scheduled to take place March 5-7 in Boston at the John B. Hynes Convention Center. Vendors also bought booth space and I'm sure the trade show giveaways have already been selected. However, vendors can save those giveaways and the bride and groom will want to call up a wedding planner as soon as possible. Because yesterday, Trade Show Week announced that "The Boston 411 Bridal & Home Show 2010 is nothing more than a hoax.
                          
The fraudulent show charged attendees $15 a ticket and an apparent thousands of tickets have been purchased. The Boston Police Department and FBI began investigating after the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority confirmed that the trade show was a fraud and anyone hurt by the scam is asked to contact victims.bpd@cityofboston.gov .

This is a new low for whoever orchestrated this trade show scam and reminds us of the importance to use reliable sources for trade show news and information. For information on how to avoid these scams check out the great blog entry at The Wedding Marketing Blog. 

On that note, are their any underground criminal trade shows? Whip out the handcuff keychains as the perfect trade show giveaway.
                              

One of my favorite things about the summer is being out on a boat. Put me in rubber boots and gloves, I'll join you on a claming adventure. Likewise, just pick up the bait and I'll come prepared with my rod and tackle box. But most enjoyably, I'll join you for a relaxing, sun-soaked afternoon as it fades into a picturesque sun, setting evening.
              
My love of boats makes me wish I could take a little rendezvous to the annual Boat Show in Springfield. Boat dealers said there was a 25%-30% decrease in business last year. There will all sorts of boats on display from fishing boats to pontoons and personal watercrafts. Since local boat deals all across the board saw losses last year, efforts at the show are being increased.

The Illinois State Journal recently spoke with registered attendees to get the scoop on the 2010 Boat Show. A local boat store owner, Jeff Smith of JLS Marine Inc. is in charge of marketing this years boat show and has already expressed his interested in trade show giveaways. He said, "My hope is to put more into the show, and I feel it is going to be a win-win," he says. "My goal is to make sure the dealers have every opportunity to be successful and sell more boats."
                           
By "putting more into this show," like giving our door prizes, attendees will be enthused about the boat show and great business relationships will be secured. Our trade show giveaways can be incorporated into this event as door prizes, booth swag or raffle items. Our custom imprinted sail boat stress relievers will be praised by recipients and give business smooth sailing exposure. Likewise, these awesome custom imprinted cruise ship or boat chocolates are a sweet treat that everyone will look forward to receiving.
 
With the inclusion of giveaways into the Springfield Boat Show, the industry can look forward to a more successful year and eventually, a full recovery from the recession. Now writing this really got me in the mood to set sail. Summer couldn't come faster.

The definition next to "toy" in the Merriam Webster dictionary says, "flirtatious or seductive behavior." But as much as I'd like to get cozy and snuggle up real close to the Snuffles bear- I'm going to focus on the third definition, "Something for a child to play with." At the 2010 Toy Fair, held last week in New York City, you can imagine the amount multitude of fun trade show giveaways.
     
Today, I'm going to focus on a couple products that share qualities with our own items. To start things off, let's get into our one-sie pajamas and sip some warm milk. Mom will be in for story time in a couple minutes and good ole Snuffles is wrapped in your arms. A teddy bear is a token item for every child. However, this teddy bear won't be spending any time in bed. It's strictly a "for the eyes only" kind of item. It's not that little Snuffles bites, or even that he's missing a button. Snuffles won't be making a child near you happy anytime soon because he costs $10,000.

Snuffles represented the Gund booth with class at the American International Toy Fair in New York and created a buzz for their booth without giving them out as samples or swag. Instead, Snuffles impressive white alpaca fur, black Tahitian pearl eyes and 10-carat diamond necklace with a white gold chain to draw in new clients. We recommend our adorable, lovable soft and snuggable, custom imprinted classic bear. He's not bedazzled with any diamonds or pearls, but he'll keep the boogie man away at night.

The other product that caught my attention is actually an entire line of products for the upcoming release of the children's film, "How to Train your Dragon." You'll find plush dragons and even some role-playing costumes. (Oh la la.) While I'm sure the kids will love this dragon movie, I'm not so sure it's the most educational of toys. Pretending to be a dragon trainer in a plastic cape doesn't sound like a real brain sensation.

Therefore, I'd suggest teaching kids some real responsibility and bringing more love into their lives at the same time. How? By buying a pet dragon. Scratch that, I mean by buying a family dog. This custom imprinted Pet Dog Owner's Maintenance log is a great way to stay involved in your child's life while teaching them valuable lessons. Fill out the book together and learn how to train an actual animal (not from make believe.)

I look forward to next years Toy Fair. I'll be showing off my dragon training skills with my plastic costume on, come on by for a visit.
 

For all the awesome giveaways that one can boast at a trade show, none may be as effective as the classic promotional t-shirt. Every year studies are done to determine the most effective and most popular promotional products and every year one category tops the list: promotional apparel. Of course, promotional t-shirts fall under that category. So what is so great about promotional t-shirts?

Well for one thing, as cheap as they are, they seem to come across as an item of value. Recipients clamor after them like Henry the VIII after a chicken leg. They absolutely have to have them. When you put two booths next to each other, one giving away pens and one giving away t-shirts, you can bet that the booth giving away t-shirts will be out first. In all honesty, the booth handing out the pens might very well have paid more for their giveaway, but there just is no stopping people when it comes to a free t-shirt. Whether or not they'll wear it usually depends on the design of the shirt itself, but you can bet they'll want it and chances are they probably will wear it. Whether they wear it to the gym to work out or to bed at night, it's more exposure for your logo. So while you're debating the next trade show giveaway, consider going for the most popular of all: the classic promotional t-shirt.

Paris Hilton will want to plan a Canadian excursion for this upcoming March, and bringing her signature pup is a must. Because March 12-14, the CaniLux Boutique Exclusive Trade Show will take place for the first time, showcasing everything you'd ever need in the luxury pet owner market.
    
                           Paris Hilton had this room customized for her dog.

Two other women, who pamper their dogs better then I pamper myself are holding this fabulous event that will take place in Brossard, Quebec. Lina Asseliun, owner of Romy & Jacob, as well as Marie-Claude Rheault, owner of The Wow Collection, have organized the CaniLux trade show to bring together the best high-end pet product manufacturers and retailers from Canada and the United States.

Lina Asseliun said, "There are no luxury pet trade shows in the spring in Canada, but there is a need."

Websites like, The Dog Bar illustrate the demand for luxury pet products by their loving owners. Asseliun and Rheault understand the passion pet owners have and hope
their event is a success so that CaniLux becomes an on-going trade show. You can expect to find pet clothing, accessories, bedding, room decor and food at CaniLix.

We suggest using our custom imprinted pet first aid kits as giveaways because recipients will be impressed with your thoughtfulness. The latest in pet food and fashion is imperative to your luxury pet lifestyle. By incorporating these emergency kits as trade show giveaways, CaniLux attendees will see that the health and well being of their pets is always the top priority of your business.

I must give credit where credit is due. This idea came to me after reading a blog written by Ali about her latest addiction, but in my defense I was addicted to the product in question while she was still in diapers. Ok, that's not necessarily true, but I've loved it for quite some time.

 

The Tangle Jr is a simple little puzzle that's not really a puzzle. You can twist it in every direction possible and find fun shapes for it to land in. If idle hands are the devil's playground consider this to be the most heavenly solution one person could come across in their lifetime. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it is the ultimate stress reliever. So why is it great for trade shows?

Well, I actually got mine at a trade show a few years back. I don't need to look at it to tell you that the imprint boasts two websites: seotoolset.com and bruceclay.com. After two years of consistently reaching for my favorite toy, it's pretty easy to understand why I know what they say. And yes, I did say it boasts two website addresses. That's because the Tangle Jr has approximately 18 different imprint areas. It's low in price and sure to be used by everyone who receives it.

The Project trade show has been taking place bi-annually in New York and Las Vegas since its conception in 2003. Each Project event showcases the best and most influential contemporary brands around. The event is best known for showcasing denims and sports apparel. 

As fashion becomes increasingly important in the media and in everyone's community, its important to keep up with the latest trends. The Project trade show helps the hottest names in Hollywood to stay in style and allows department stores, specialty stores and personal assistants to scope out the clothing they think will help them to have a profitable year.

Kevin Harter of Bloomingdales said of the famed show, "It's amazing...It's big but very well edited with a great point of view. This is where you find the players you need to pick up on." Like all trade shows, Project showcases the latest trends and invites retailers to choose the ones that best represent them. With name brands that the stars will be wearing in the upcoming months and new lines that challenge shoppers to breakout with dynamic style, the Project show really pushes the limit.

The thing most special about the Project show is the insane creativity put into the trade show space itself. While most trade shows are held in convention centers, the latest Project show, in SoHo last month, was held in retro-sleek industrial building. On the second floor of the building were bare brick walls that invited cool art work. The entire trade show floor was actually designed to look like a miniature city, featuring the best in fashion, and real life street signs too.

The awesome layout of the Project trade show and featured designers help to create a great hype for each of its event. Project intelligently sets the scene with what every attendee is looking for and therefore will continue to rise to success. With such an awesome atmosphere, I'm sure the trade show giveaways must be banging as well. 

They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but what author would want to create a literary masterpiece only to be misrepresented by its front cover art work? While appearances aren't everything, making your trade show booth attractive and comfortable is essential to a successful showing. Some booth space can be as small as 6'X6' while bigger businesses pay for prime spots with a vast amount of space. No matter what amount of space you get, it's best to create an eye catching design that will draw in attendees and make them feel welcomed immediately.
                      
At last weeks PPAI Expo 2010, companies created comfortable spaces and elaborate displays. One outdoor supplier set up their very own outdoor paradise by building a tent and laying out the camping essentials. The attractive booth showcased their own products and invited passersby to really immerse themselves in their products. Another business decided to go for an attractive open aired booth. They left ample space between shelves to allow attendees to engage in business conversations casually. Large signs carefully labeled each section of this supplier's display and help to attract clients to their appropriate locations. They also incorporated carpeting - a very popular addition to any booth.
                    
Each day of the trade show, attendees will walk up and down the isles for miles upon miles. By carpeting your booth, clients will feel the cushion in each step and walk more comfortably. Likewise, for those with cramping feet, a chair is always a safe haven. Some meetings are scheduled ahead of time to help businesses to connect and one company decided to take their meetings to the next level - literally. They got the smart idea to build up and maximized their booth space by creating a sitting area on the top level of their booth.
                             
By making attendees feel comfortable in your trade show space, you'll help to make them feel secure in your hands. Adding a special homelike feel to your booth will make people want to stick around longer, leading to secure business relations. Clearly, this business knew that the masses flocking to Vegas would be in need of their own home away from home - so they gave it to them. Be smart with your design and decor and remember that you can always spice it up with trade show giveaways.
                       

Trade show giveaways are huge at the PPAI Expo in Vegas- literally. One supplier worked the trade show floor (or shall I say ceiling) by hanging gigantic promotional products above their booth. Incorporating eye catching and desirable trade show giveaways is imperative to drawing in new customers and satisfying the needs of your loyal customers. While business relationships can't live on trade show swag alone, they sure can be enhanced by them.
                              
Zig-zagging through hundreds of trade show booths the past two days has opened my eyes to the best giveaways. Take for instance these promotional bumper stickers. Who doesn't love a good laugh? By imprinted comical phrases and silly slurs this company got noticed. The assortment of giveaways were displayed right in the middle of the booth which made helped to herd the attendees. The cool stickers also gave everyone something to talk about. By breaking the ice over a few laughs, company representatives were able to naturally direct the conversation and network successfully.
                       
Another cool trade show giveaway were these fun custom coloring books with crayons. Their perky display caught my eye and once I saw that crayons were included I couldn't say no. Because of the interactive nature of a coloring book, it's hard to get the real feel for the innovative company by coloring inside the lines for themselves. This company understands the value of using fun trade show giveaways to excite attendees.
                 
My absolute favorite trade show giveaways so far are the cleverly designed and absolutely savory promotional snack bags. The cute and attractive snack packs were filled with tasty trail mix that helped curve some trade show hunger. Each label was vibrantly imprinted with fireworks and the words, "New Year's Resolution Mix, A Healthy Start to 2010!" With losing weigh on the top of the list of most people's New Year's resolutions, this was a super smart idea. So much so that when I make it back to the expo, I may just go grab another.