As I was cleaning my office the other day, I came across an article in Trade Show Week that was written almost 20 years ago by Michael Flkowitz, who, at that time, was Sales Development Manager at Nabisco.

Although it was printed some time ago, I would like to share a few lines of timeless advice from that article.

Following are five principles that will ensure both exhibit and job success:

Learn

Never stop learning. the huge technical development that can be [attained] at trade shows is one example of the reasons why exhibit managers must continue to learn. Being a successful exhibit manager will involve knowing and applying this ever-evolving technology

Love

Maintain a positive attitude even in stressful times. Respond to all inquires. Ours is a communication business. It is rude [to] not respond to phone calls. Know everything there is to know about your company, and go the extra mile, no matter what task you face.

Laugh

Keeping a sense of humor can see you through stressful periods and make your- and your team members' jobs much easier.

Labor

Like going the extra mile, doing the best possible hob will help make your exhibit the center of attention. Hard work and sacritifce are part of the job.

Leave

When the show is done, it's time to take back what you have learned and start applying those principles to the next trade show.

In closing, it is important to remember that a trade show display is not a museum. It's a billboard, a time-compressed live marketing event and a communication process. Creating an exhibit that's the center of attention is a matter of taking advantage of those features creatively.

By Francine Brooks