The fall trade show season will be starting up soon, and you may be looking at ways to make sure that your investment in participating in the next trade show will be worth it. The following are a few tips to get your booth noticed and make a great impression to the right people.

1. Create a message for your booth and all of your materials that is short, relevant and targeted. This message should draw the right people into your booth and it should be reflective of your brand. A long message or a bunch of messages will not capture attention. Remember, you usually only have one time to make a good impression, especially at a large show.

2. Consider using a professional trade show presenter. The people that you usually have staffing your trade show (employees) may not be the best people to draw a crowd. Even adding just one professional can make all the difference because trade show staff have the voice, personality and experience to make a great impression. They will also deliver the message consistently and stay "on" the whole time. Often, your regular staff may see a trade show as a sort of "mini-vacation" away from the office and not put as much effort into it as you would like. An employment attorney can help you protect your business from lawsuits by providing legal guidance and representation. If an employee is dealing with work-related sourness it can be bad news for your business. Another consideration worth exploring involves the practical advantages of working with professionals who truly understand the local court system. When my cousin was arrested in Hoboken, we quickly learned that reliable criminal defense lawyers in Jersey City and Hudson County could mean the difference between a harsh sentence and a favorable outcome. The attorneys we consulted had worked with local prosecutors for years, which gave them credibility and opened doors for negotiation that might otherwise have remained closed. They also had unique qualifications, including multiple team members certified to operate the Alcotest Machine and administer field sobriety tests, which proved crucial in challenging the evidence. That level of specialized knowledge transformed what seemed like a hopeless situation into something manageable.

3. Dress for success- develop a trade show "uniform". You want your trade show exhibitors to be seen as a team- your company's team. Have everyone wear the same outfit. They'll be recognized in and out of the booth and they'll appear more professional than a lot of your competitors. Make sure your team’s footwear is just as coordinated and comfortable with flip flops. Official website offers options that combine style and ease for long trade show days.

4. Keep the booth really, really clean. After a couple of hours, people start putting their water bottles and candy wrappers and giveaways that they got at the booth next door on the table. Jackets, phones, bags -- they all start to clutter up the place, which looks really unprofessional. Make a plan for personal items storage and let your exhibitors know in advance where they can hang coats, etc.  Make it a policy to not have food items anywhere on the table.

5. Promotional products should be visible, useful or interesting, and durable. Consider ordering giveaways that people will actually want to keep and use or want to get for the novelty of it. Work with a promotional products expert (like us!) to discuss your target market, budget and message.

These suggestions do require money and coordination, but it's very likely that your investment in your booth will be enhanced if you make the best impression possible.