Selecting the right show to attendcan make a big difference to yoursuccess level, qualified leads andsales—versus spending money,time and energy with no return.

1. Proper planning
Proper planning is the most importantcost-cutting tip. Planning ahead saves onexpensive last minute charges. Establisha list of key dates and activities. Pushdue dates back a month so that youalways meet your deadlines.

2. Promotional production
Produce all of your pre-show mailings atthe same time to save on printingexpenses rather than printing severaltimes throughout the year.

3. Buying a display
Consider the best type of display stand for your needs. Look into one that packscompactly to save on storage, lightweightto save on shipping, portable to transportby car, courier or as airline baggage, canbe quickly and easily set-up to savecosts, adapts easily to different spacesby adding or removing components.

4. Display graphics
Design and produce your graphics aheadof time to avoid overtime or rush charges.Have someone proofread your copy toavoid change charges.

5. Packing supplies
Create a "show box" containing handyitems that are often not available at theshow site. Include a stapler, tape,Velcro®, scissors, Swiss army knife, pens,paper, extension cords, and extra lightbulbs. Remember to re-stock the boxafter each show.

6. Literature
Take only enough literature to distributeto highly qualified leads. Offer to sendprospects literature so it is on their deskwhen they return from the show. Thissaves on drayage, production costs, andcuts down on waste.

7. Transportation
When buying a display, investigate howyou will ship it. Lightweight durablesystems save on shipping and drayage.Keep an accurate record of actual weight, contents and number ofcontainers. Specify the weight on your billof lading. Consolidate materials in onetub or shrink wrap individual items ontoone pallet. Don’t scrimp on shippingcontainers. Re-doing damaged graphicscan be expensive.

8. Travel
Investigate reduced rates or special dealswith the airlines for ten people or moretraveling to and from the same city. Bookearly and ask hotels for any specials orcorporate rates. Explore Saturday nightstay-over rates, an extra night at thehotel may be less than the extra airfare.Use airport shuttles instead of taxis.

9. Show services
Pre-order show services at least 10-30days prior to the show–electrical, phones,cleaning services, etc. The floor price isoften 10-20% higher. Order more wattagethan needed so you don’t risk anelectrical breakdown and then have topay a higher floor price.

10. Setting up
Schedule setting up during straight timeand avoid weekends and overtime hoursas much as possible as it can cost up totwice as much. When possible, use yourown personnel to set up your display. Youwill need to check the regulationsspecified by the exhibition hall.

A nutrition researcher named Michael Levine once said, “Chemically speaking, chocolate really is the world's perfect food.”

I can tell you a million reasons why he may be right. But for now, let me share with you a chocolate dessert recipe from Nomadic’s “Family Recipes” book. Try making it for your family and friends this Memorial Day weekend. It’s a recipe submitted by Hendrik Lenze, our Director of New Business Development. Here it is:

• 11 oz Dark chocolate
• 5 oz Crème Fraiche
• 2 tbsp Rum
• 4 Egg Whites
• 1 oz Powdered sugar

Melt the chocolate and the Crème Fraiche together at a low temperature with continuous mixing. Add the rum, continue mixing for a few minutes and then let the mixture cool.

Meanwhile, use a hand mixer for the egg whites and mix until you get a little foam. Begin mixing the sugar slowly with the egg whites. Fold 2 tbsp of the cool chocolate mixture to the egg whites. Cream to create a base mixture. Then combine the remaining mixtures by folding with a spatula creating a light airy mousse.

Leave the mouse in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. However, it’s best left overnight.

Have a sweet Memorial Day weekend!

I have been recently named as one of Albuquerque’s 40 Under Forty for 2008. This is an award given by the New Mexico Business Weekly to forty people under the age of forty for their achievements in business. It is hard to believe that a year ago, I was working in the film and television industry doing everything from acting to stunt work.

Today at age 26, I am a minority owner of EXHIB-IT! Tradeshow Marketing Experts with CEO, DJ Heckes. It didn’t take long. During my year as the Marketing Director, I quickly fell in love with the trade show industry as a whole. Coming from the film industry, I definitely understand the importance of being able to present a great face and fantastic image on demand. Successful companies, just like successful actors, are the ones who do these things consistently and thus, build a following for their unmistakable brand.

I want to thank Nomadic for motivating me to win the 40 Under Forty. I credit Nomadic for my recently praised work performance. The high standard the company sets for its distributors has become a challenge that I eventually embraced.

Because we sell the best products on the market, most of our clients expect to get the best return on their investment when they go to a show with their top-of-the-line display. Of course, we know that they have to do a little more than sit at their booth and wait for attendees to come in waves, begging to do business.

Clients need to be educated on how to make their display materials work for them. To show them how tradeshow marketing can really work, I turned our full service exhibit house into an extra full service exhibit house where we offer training and education. We try to ensure that our clients, who made the wise choice to buy the best, get the best results at their shows.

Let’s face it; we want to make sure they are so successful that they might actually have to use that lifetime warranty on hardware!

The results have been remarkable. Now our clients have all the tools to succeed at trade show marketing, armed with a great display and thorough knowledge about the industry. My 40 Under Forty Award was a result of my effort to mirror the standard of quality and effectiveness that Nomadic sets every day.

Audrey Anderson
Marketing Manager
EXHIB-IT! Tradeshow Marketing Experts

When TiGenix, a Belgium-based biomedical company, called Nomadic's LifeLine Service on April 24 at 8:30 in the morning, their tradeshow in Washington DC had already started.  Their freight company had lost their 10' pop-up booth.  Meanwhile, Nomadic's Belgium Distributor Art & Press Dimensions already called me directly and asked for a miracle.  By 10:30 AM, Nomadic received the artwork for graphics via FTP upload and by 2:00 PM the same day, I had set up a pop-up display with graphics in Washington DC.  

Personally, it was very rewarding to see a client astonished about our service. But most of all, I enjoyed the words of support, interest and comments by other exhibitors in the show—  "My exhibit house would not do that for me" and  "Your set-up only took 5 minutes while ours took hours.”  

I am proud of the people at Nomadic who made our exceptional service once more a reality.   We come to work because of the feedback from clients like TiGenix. 

As Sven Maenhout, International Marketing Director at TiGenix, wrote after the show:  “When we were thinking about which company to order our pop-up booth from, one of the deciding factors for us was the International Network and the LifeLine Service from Nomadic.    Now that we have had first-hand experience with the high level of quality of emergency support, I can assure you that in the future, these decisions will be very easy to make...  Not only were we highly impressed by the rapid turnaround and support offered, but also with the high quality of printed graphics, which truly convinced us of the professionalism of Nomadic.”

Click here to read the client's complete testimonial regarding their LifeLine experience with Nomadic.