Trade Show Psychology: Know the Crowd

A person can be rational, they can be educated, intelligent, pragmatic, they can be talked to, convinced, swayed and argued with. A crowd, on the other hand, is more like a force of nature, something that you can perhaps harness, but rarely control.

Now obviously, once you've reeled a prospect into a trade show booth, you're going to be talking to them one on one, but until then, they're a part of the shapeless mass that is The Crowd. Plucking somebody out of that crowd can be difficult, so here are a few tricks to help your trade show displays stand out... Read more

Conventioneers Predict Positive Year for Las Vegas Trade Shows

The trade show, Exhibitor 2011, is a convention for exhibitors. It's an opportunity to see the latest and greatest in the convention industry which employs 45,000 people in Las Vegas. The exhibitors at Mandalay Bay's annual show are expecting a good year for business. See video.

GES Offers Free Airport Shuttle for EXHIBITOR2011

To demonstrate the art of service, GES is welcoming all EXHIBITOR 2011 attendees with complimentary shuttle rides on Sunday, March 27 from McCarran International Airport to Mandalay Bay, Excalibur, Luxor and the Four Seasons hotels. The shuttle will operate every thirty minutes from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and all show attendees are welcome. GES' representatives, holding balloons and signage, will be present near airport escalators and exits to direct guests to the shuttle.

Attendees are also invited to join GES' SmartStaff™ booth staff training on Sunday, March 27, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. in room "Surf E" on the second floor of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. More information

Handling the Logistics of Trade Shows

The trick to effectively coordinating trade show freight services and logistics to transport your tradeshow booth display for on-time delivery to a show venue is meticulous planning and coordination. Larger companies that exhibit frequently often use transport companies that specialize in trade show shipping to handle the logistical details. More from Tradeshow Insider's Blog.

Tradeshow QR Code Usage – A Few Brief Tips

by Tim Patterson of The Tradeshow Guy blog.

At the Natural Products Expo West show earlier this month in Anaheim, I had the opportunity to scan several QR Codes that were displayed in booths, posters and banners. Some were prominently displayed in large form – maybe a foot square – and others as small as less than one inch on business cards. All in all, I saw perhaps twenty QR Codes. Since I became aware of QR Codes a year ago ago, and have blogged about them a couple of times, I was curious to see how business incorporated the goofy-looking symbol into their marketing efforts.

Here are a few thoughts on what worked and what didn’t: Continue reading.

Six Reasons Why You Should Use QR Codes for Your Next Event

Reason #1: An electronic conference brochure — On a press release, event poster, marketing video, email blast, promotional products, or even a Twitter/Facebook post include a QR Code with a link to a downloadable PDF brochure.

Reason #2: Create a Link to Conference Website –Use any of the channels identified above to distribute your link to prospective attendees. If your event registration and/or housing process is online you can post links to these locations as well.

Reason #3: Conference Handouts — Post a QR code on the screen in the meeting room and participants can scan whatever the session handout into their smartphone.

Reason #4: Post Event Survey/Evaluation — Once again, post the QR code for link to the evaluation form on the session screen, and attendees can immediately provide feedback regarding the session they have just attended.

Reason #5: Media Access — provide access to links for event music, video archives or pictures via a QR code.

Reason #6: Share Contact Information — speakers, or exhibitors can post a QR code with their electronic contact information and attendees can scan it into their smartphone’s contacts database, or email it to a friend/colleague. Attendees can exchange contact information with one another by scanning QR codes embedded on their phones.

Full article from Mike McCurry. Includes video from Midori Connolly.

HOW TO: Create a Blockbuster Mobile App

In an ever expanding and increasingly competitive mobile app marketplace, it’s becoming harder for developers to create apps that stand out for being more entertaining, engaging and worthy of consumers’ attention and money. There are approximately 350,000 apps in iTunes, 65,000 in the Android marketplace, and thousands more being developed as we speak. Whether an app is the brainchild of two parents who want to entertain their daughter, or a creation from a huge developing house, there’s no telling exactly how an app will fare once it hits the open market.

So, what exactly does it take to create a killer app? A good idea, focus, determination and lots of luck certainly help. But there are other factors that up-and-comers can glean from seasoned developers who have been there, done that, and done it well. More from Mashable.