A Thanksgiving feast is not complete without desserts. A slice of pie brings family together and is a sweet conclusion to this annual holiday.

For your enjoyment, here’s a pecan pie recipe, which you can add to your repertoire of homemade sweets. It’s taken from our Nomadic’s “Family Recipes” book.

Buttermilk Pecan Pie
by Ken Abernathy, Redball Productions

½ cup Butter
2 cups Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla
3 Eggs
3 tbsp Flour
¼ tsp Salt
1 cup Buttermilk
½ cup Pecans, chopped
1 9-inch unbaked pastry pie crust

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, adding sugar gradually. Blend in vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time. Combine flour and salt— add a small amount at a time. Add buttermilk. Sprinkle pecans in bottom of unbaked pie crust. Pour filling over. Bake pie in a preheated 300-degree oven for 1 ½ hours.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Mabel Kenyon
Marketing Communications Coordinator

Most designers view that form, more often than not, follows function. This logical premise has also become a guiding principle for many exhibitors in choosing the design for their booth environments.

In today’s world, an exhibitor can opt for an open or closed design. An open exhibit is easily accessible and often perceived as welcoming to potential clients. One general rule that goes with this type of design is to ensure that at least 60% of the floor space is open.

A closed design, on the other hand, indicates a more private environment with the aim to attract only a select group of prospective and existing clients.

Whatever your choice is, it will set the pace on what and how much you want to achieve on the show floor. Visit the Design Ideas section of our website and let it help you make the right decision on your next tradeshow investment.

Other than a stunning display, what will make your company really stand out from the crowd of competitors on the show floor? Sponsorship.  This branding opportunity is usually provided when you book your space.

Sponsorship opportunities abound at most shows. Here are some show venues, tools and occasions where you can have maximum brand exposure and ensure that attendees and prospects will keep you in mind.

• Signage on directional signage to the show, at the entrance, in the registration area or aisles overhead.
• Visitor registration badges
• Registration bags provided to all visitors
• Networking functions such as breakfast, lunch, refreshment breaks or after-party
• Room key cards at the host hotel
• Door drops/hangers at the hotel room of show registrants

Request a copy of our Event Professional CD, for more tips and event insights that will help you get noticed at your next event.

More often than not, it’s easy to get carried away in the flurry of activities during Halloween—dressing up for costume parties, carving pumpkins and preparing candies for trick-or-treaters.

Take a quick break and give yourself and your family a nice warm treat. Try the following soup recipe from our Nomadic’s “Family Recipes” book.

Butternut Squash Soup
By Kim Boucher of Exhib-it!

1 Butternut Squash - peeled, cubed and roasted at 475° (drizzle butter on top) for 30 minutes
1/2 cup Cream Cheese
½ Onion - medium, chopped and sautéed in butter until clear or slightly browned
½ tsp Marjoram
½ tsp Cinnamon
¼ tsp Nutmeg
¼ tsp Curry Powder

Mix all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Add ½ cup of cream cheese. Puree slightly to mix. Add 1 can of chicken broth and a little bit of cornstarch to thicken if desired (you can omit cornstarch if used as veggie dip). Right before serving, add a swirl of half & half and a mint sprig for garnish.

Happy Halloween!

Mabel Kenyon
Marketing Communications Coordinator

Impress. Attract. Influence. These are three critical verbs that define any marketing strategy at the show floor. However, it’s always “Impress” that proves to be a hurdle for a lot of exhibitors in the initial phase of building relationships with their target attendees.

Shari Worthington, a marketing strategist and co-author of the acclaimed “E-Business in Manufacturing,” believes that impressing attendees takes size.  If you want to be thought of as a major business player, go for larger booths on the show floor.  This creates the kind of tradeshow presence you need to attract and influence your target attendees. 

Mabel Kenyon
Marketing Communications Coordinator