As we head deeper into winter, it's clear that the holiday season is here. The turkey came and went on Thanksgiving and the Halloween decorations have been replaced with icicle lights and red bows. However, as the Christmas songs continue to blare and snowmen assemble on front lawns, a special group of people are hanging onto the Halloween spirit.

The ghost and goblin costumes may be stored away, but for the Ontario Paranormal Conference & Trade Show enthusiasts, a good scare is all they're asking Santa for. The event is to take place in May, but as a special promotion, the organizers are offering holiday decorated letters this week only.
                                 
Like the perfect holiday cards, these festive letters have space for you to write the recipient's name and are imprinted with the G.H.O.S.T. Conference's logo. These personalized letters are just the start of the trade show giveaways conjuring that will be going on for this event.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their ghost hunting equipment because there will be ghost tours, ghost hunts and séances for everyone to participate in. On their website, they're already boasting the door prices that will be given out.

This Paranormal trade show isn't your average conference which is why it's important to use extraordinary trade show giveaways. While our Halloween promos are very festive, they may be a bit too commercial for these real time ghost hunters. However, one thing's for certain, every good ghost hunter needs a promotional flashlight.

   
Likewise, the Ontario Conference may want to have cool glow in the dark trade show giveaways. The awesome custom printed glow in the dark sani-mist pocket sprayer is a smart idea because of the recent H1N1 breakouts. Meanwhile, the cool glow in the dark feature will keep it handy during pitch black ghost hunts. Who knows, maybe the anti-bacterial mist will help to detect the ghosts in the area. Until I attend a Paranormal trade show, I will not know...but maybe Santa’s mailing me that lovely Paranormal conference holiday letter just in time.

No parent ever put their child on a bike and pushed it away. Everything takes practice, so first, training wheels must be attached to help guide children into the motion of riding a bicycle. It could be said that Susan Friedmann's new e-learning program is the training wheels on every trade show representatives bicycle.

Friedmann, known as the Trade Show Coach, has recently released her on-line trade show course, "Surefire Ways to Jump Start Your Exhibition Success at Tradeshows & Events." It offers a cohesive look into all the skills needed before, during and after every trade show. She said, "The e-learning course I've developed for tradeshow training covers just about every thinkable facet of tradeshow participation." This of course includes an explanation of the value of great trade show giveaways. She continued,” Organizations of all kinds stand to gain a great deal from a comprehensive course such as this. For any organization that takes the time to internalize and live it, the content of this course gives them a major edge against competitors."
                 
Making sure to cover all of the bases, the e-course is divided into 3 sections. Before The Show, During The Show And After The Show. Friedmann understands that to make an effective attendance of any trade show, organizers can't just have a "taste" of tradeshow knowledge. They must be trade show savvy and determined. Therefore, each of the 3 categories are divided even further in an effort to teach each aspect. These subcategories include Planning, Promotion, People and Productivity.
                                 
Let's focus in on the category we know best, promotions. Friedman explains the importance of creating a hype before and at the trade show with promotions. This includes creating innovative direct-mail promotions. Many trade show items are made with this in mind. By mailing prospective trade show attendees letters inviting them to your booth at the upcoming event, they'll be likely to stop in. By including fun promotional products, recipients will look forward to visiting your booth. Likewise, in the packed contention center, you'll want to stand out by brining along the best in trade show giveaways.
                
I'm sure the e-course includes tips on looking your best with trade show apparel and divulges into important marketing skills as well. With this program hitting the shelves, trade shows will get increasingly competitive, so remember to stay original and use effective promotional products. With this great course, the training wheels will be coming off your trade show bicycle in no time.  

When you're one of the biggest auto manufacturers in the world and you attend a trade show, there are a plethora of options. You can have a huge, fancy display surrounding all your newest models. You can have great giveaways to attract passersby. You can hire beautiful women to stand next to the beautiful cars and get everyone's attention. When you're a major car manufacturer attending the Paris Motor Show, the world is your oyster, or as they like to say in France, oysterrrrrrrrrrrrr. Actually, it's huîtres but just go with me on this. So you're Volkswagen Motors and you have the Paris Motor Show coming up. How to you get people to notice you?

You go with the age old classic, a custom trade show bag. This custom bag was designed and given to everyone in attendance. The sleek design of the VW GTI Golf was touted up and down the aisles as people filled their bags with swag, business cards, and car information. The best part was that all the while the VW logo and the image of the Golf GTI's door was seen to everyone passing by. And that, my friends is how you make an impression at a trade show.

The people you choose to represent your business at each trade show must be captivating. With a convention center full of competitors, it's important to show the masses that your company stands out from the rest. The simplest way to do this is to carefully select knowledgeable and charismatic representatives.
               
When you choose dedicated individuals who love your brand, their personalities will draw in new clients and lead to pertinent business relations. Bill Gates has been a huge personality at the annual Macworld trade shows, bringing in gigantic crowds and fueling the Mac World with excitement. Recently, Ben Stein had trade show attendees entertained at the NIC show in Chicago. With a great personality, representatives are able to connect to each individual and build upon a business relationship that's destined to flourish.
               
Likewise, when you choose fashionable and professional trade show apparel, your representatives approachable personalities will be seen across the trade show floor. By feeling confident about your look, especially in your company’s logo trade show shirts, others will be compelled to learn more about your business.

Now that you have well dressed and well prepped representatives at your trade show booth, there's only one last finishing touch to ensure a picture perfect trade show appearance; trade show giveaways.
                                         
By choosing fun promotional laser pointers, useful talking pens and cool custom stress balls, trade show attendees will remember your business long after the trade show. When you choose items with extra flare, they'll show off your fun-loving personality. Our promotional electronics selection offers fun light-up items and other giveaways that everyone will want.
              
Just like dynamic personalities will draw people to your booth, so too will fun promotional trade show items. With eye-catching trade show giveaways, everyone will want to hang out at your booth. Once they meet your friendly representatives and are adorning a brand new trade show giveaway, these passersby will become permanent clients for your great business.

If there's one piece of advice that any promotional consultant will give you regarding trade show giveaways it's this: give people something they'll use. The first vendor on the trade show floor or the show sponsor who's responsible for giving out the trade show bags is usually a very lucky individual because their logo will be seen throughout the entire show. As people are walking the aisles, they'll be toting that bag. But what do you do if you can't afford a show sponsor position or if you've been designated a location that's not near the entrance? You go with the old faithful rule and you give the people something they'll use. And that something is promotional hand sanitizer.

Trade shows are meant to be all about networking. If you're doing it right, you're chatting people up, shaking people's hands and kissing people on the cheek. And while you may be getting some fabulous new business from all that schmoozing, you're also be picking up some not so welcome "contacts." Germs are everywhere and with the flu more prevalent than it has been in quite some time (thank you H1N1), it's definitely on people's minds. By choosing to give out promotional hand sanitizer, especially one that can be easily clipped to a trade show badge or a bag, you're giving them something that they can use. Sure you can spend thousands of dollars on some amazing giveaway that lights up, flips and draws massive attention to itself, but it won't be reached for time and time again during that trade show.

Over at TradeShowJoe.com, he posted the 10 Things Not to Do at A Trade Show:

• Sit, read, smoke, eat or drink in the booth.
• Ignore prospects by forming a cozy cluster and chatting with colleagues.
• Use the (booth) telephone while visitors are around.
• Leave the booth unattended or leave without informing colleagues.
• Be late for booth duty.
• Close off conversation by crossing your arms.
• Stand with your back to the aisle.
• Say "Can I help you."
• Lean on booth furniture.
• Drink alcohol or eat garlicky or spicy foods during the day.
• Use inappropriate language, complain about the show or about being at the show.
• Wear new shoes or high heels.
• Badmouth your competitors.
• Let the booth get cluttered, untidy, and unorganized.
• Be unprofessional.

The fact that most of these seem like common sense is irrelevant, because the list had to have come from things that he or others witnessed happening at a trade show. So what's the worst trade show offense that you've encountered?

Last week, the TS2 event, otherwise known at the "trade show for trade shows," was held in Chicago. The annual TS2 invited trade show and corporate event planners to exchange swag and be informed on new business and marketing strategies during educational presentations. During one session, Francis J. Friedman, the president of New York's Time & Place Strategies Inc., focused on the importance of making trade shows a red carpet event of any given industry. He stressed how, especially due to downsizing in the workplace, employees must be drawn to these events.

Though trade shows are not exactly paparazzi inducing events, Friedman stressed how a creative and diverse itinerary can produce a buzz for your event and exceed attendees expectations. He said, "If 70 percent of your programming appeals to the whole audience [of a meeting or trade show], you have an opportunity to devote 10 percent of programming to three sub-segments, and give each group something unique. You may have a women's caucus luncheon, a senior executive roundtable, and a hip-hop dance contest for the young folks. That way, all attendees stream through three tracks of education."

It’s clear that by catering to your attendees any event can be a success. In the same way that Friedman suggests "three-sub-segments" to satisfy each type of audience, I suggest a diverse and innovative trade show giveaways selection. While audience research and careful product selection may be more time consuming, recipient satisfaction will greatly increase your notability in your field.

Personalized key chains are successful trade show giveaways because everyone can use them. If you're able to get to a tradeshow, it’s undeniable that you either own a vehicle or have access to a home. With the right custom imprinted key chain you're business' name will be seen everywhere recipients travel. This sort of product, joined by promotional pens and logo stress balls, would pertain to the 70% of audience members. That leave's your business with 10% focus and programming to three individual interest groups.

Do your research. Will there be an unrelated summer outdoor event going on nearby the convention center? Bring custom mini fans and encourage attendees to enjoy the rest of their day outside. Is this an international event? If so, promotional luggage tags will aid traveling recipients on their flights home. Or perhaps you've caught wind of the latest trend in the area? If custom USB flash drives are all the rage, have them imprinted exclusively for that tradeshow.

While some are worried scared that the recession will take them under, it's important to use forward thinking and effective planning to stand out from your competitors. With the right tradeshow giveaways, you'll be able to satisfy all recipients and ensure your business a successful future in your industry.

WalletPop, a word please.  

I saw that you've released your list of the 20 Most Useless Things and coming in at number 13: trade show swag. According to the blog:

"There's something about attending a convention or trade show that turn us into frenzied packrats who eagerly snatch up free key chains, mouse pads, paperweights, and other items that ultimately end up buried in a junk drawer."

Pardon et moi? Junk drawer? While I completely understand that there are those who do turn into frenzied packrats at conventions, clamoring for all the free goodies their promotional tote bags can carry, that's not to say that every trade show attendees swag ends up in the "junk drawer." I can count at least 5 trade show giveaways that I've received that I use on a daily basis.

1. Promotional Pen Cups
Who's going to go out and buy one of these? More importantly, what company, in today's recession is going to approve a budget request for pen cups?

2. Promotional Keychains
While the blog itself directly attacks promotional keychains, I can't help but observe that fact that our very own Anthony Zuaro is currently touting a keychain in the shape of an eco-friendly light bulb. It doubles as a keylight and he loves it. And as someone who's motion sensors don't always work outside their apartment, promotional keychains, especially those with lights on them are always greatly appreciated.  

3. Promotional Pens
As it stands the majority of people's pens are promotional in nature. And for a frequent tradeshow attendee, the pens that they receive at shows probably make up the majority of their collection. You won't find them in a junk drawer, but instead in cars, purses and at the office because people are utilizing these useful tools.

4. Promotional Stress Balls
Ok, not everyone uses them for their intended purpose. But think of the obsessive office decorators. The cubicle dwellers whose cubes are overly adorned with stress balls of every size and shape imaginable. They may be obsessive decorators, but they certainly don't pay for those things. Their purpose instead seems to be decorative in nature, and office employees can certainly appreciate that.

5. Custom USB Drives
Coincidently, this same list that deemed trade show swag useless deemed "thumb drives" useless in their own accord (they placed just one spot below, at number 14). While the article refers specifically to drives that are lower in memory space (particularly the 128MB). While the lower sizes are not as worthwhile, they're also not as cost effective. In fact, one USB wholesaler reported that when people ordered anything less than a 1GB, he would upgrade them to a 1GB anyway because it was more cost effective for him. So while a 128MB flash drive may be deemed "useless" it's just as "useless" as the 128MB MP3 players or even a cassette player.

While I can go on and on for hours about how tradeshow swag is useful, I'd like to think I've proved my point. And truthfully, I don't think that I'd give this list much credence to begin with. After all, they listed the "iron" at No. 17, ear candles at No. 11,  and at No. 10: Books. His defense for books, was that we're in a "kindle world now." Considering the fact that the government had to postpone the transition to digital TV because no one was ready for that, I think that's a bit of a leap, don't you?

So sound off and let me know your thoughts: Is trade sghow swag just useless junk?