Typically, when referring to Austin festival South by Southwest (SXSW) we refer to its prestigious film festival or the up-and-coming bands expected to grace the many stages in Austin. But the impact of this year's festival may stretch further than just film and music.

As reported by Michelle Bruno on the Tradeshow News Network website, South by Southwest is being opposed by a renegade group called the Badgeless. The Badgeless is a group of social media users who refused to pay the price of the SXSW festival. This group, rather than seeing the official films, concerts and keynote speeches of the SXSW festival, put the element of gathering together at top priority. As described by Michelle Bruno, "Badgeless participants didn't get to see the Al Gore or Ray Kurzweil keynotes...but they did get a lot of free tacos and beer and themselves, which is apparently the main attraction for them."

So how might it affect other tradeshows? It is possible that other festivals known for exclusivity or steep pricing could be outpaced by the spread of social media groups. The result could continue to wear at waning participation and pull tradeshow veterans away from the original tradeshow.

Organizers seemed not to be threatened by the Badgeless, acknowledging the group and explaining how each year of the festival has been more successful than the last. With over two decades of success, it'll be some time until the Badgeless can cause a reasonable dent in the participation.

How are you drawing people to your product?

It's a very simple question but the answer to this question can either make or break your company at a tradeshow. Because all too often, companies spend thousands of dollars for prime display space, travel and man-hours and employees spend their time behind the counter, twiddling thumbs and barely saying a word. I've seen it far too often and unless you have a product that is more innovative than the automobile or sliced bread, your tent is just another obstruction in an already crowded room.

Companies at tradeshows are successful if they have incentives, attention grabbers, promotional products and even people of the right attitude. While we at Motivators can't help your employees with their "please's" and "thank you's" Motivators products can certainly help out with getting everyone from new customers to tradeshow veterans checking out your display.

With over 50,000 SKUs for products available over the phone, online and in catalogs, Motivators has a promotional product for every budget and style. All you need is a logo and an idea and you'll have a promotional product incentive that will have people scrambling to get their hands on. And the more one-of-a-kind an item is, the more likely it'll stand out at a trade show. In the same way that two people might wear the same shirt or dress, nothing is more embarrassing than when two companies utilize the same promotional products at the same trade show. But don't be afraid to use the basics, such as promotional pens and promotional water bottles. While quite common at tradeshows, these items do work effectively. Another good idea might be choosing a promotional item that might turn heads as opposed to being directly correlated. In my days of working with a music magazine, I attended a tradeshow and handed out - of all things - promotional yo-yo's. Why? Because I knew that young people (and even those in their 50's and 60's) would play with the yo-yo. And if you didn't play with a yo-yo, you would still have a harder time throwing out something like a yo-yo over a promotional pen or promotional keychain.

Having a difficult time deciding what everyone might like? Motivators also sells some wild promotional download cards - cards that include complimentary music downloads, DVDs or even phone skins. As a company, all you have to do is purchase these cards and print your logo on the card. These cards stay in the wallet or purse until being redeemed and the joy of a new song, new cell phone cover or movie is forever associated with your name and brand. And with very few companies handing these out at tradeshows, it's almost guaranteed to be a hit.

And if that isn't enough for you, put on a show! There are even a few promotional products that can be used by your employees (or interns) to grab peoples' attention. For example, item #27978 is an item called Sonic Rocks. In addition to being incredibly strong magnets with an imprinted logo on the casing, the rocks make an electrifying sound when thrown in the air and join together. Or to visually entice, consider juggling promotional balls or promotional Frisbees. People are drawn by the unique and exciting - and nothing is more exciting than free promotional products and entertainment.

No matter how you choose to use them, promotional products put you ahead of the curve and will have people buzzing about your brand throughout the tradeshow.