Page 218 - 597 Business Ideas You can Start from Home - doing what you LOVE! (Beginner Internet Marketing Series)

Step 1 0. Prep for the Trade Show 21 1

But don't count on that type of treatment. In fact, don't expect
the facility (or fellow schleppers) to provide anything except an
open door. It's not like pulling up to a hotel with luggage carts lying
around and someone to haul your stuff for a tip. You're truly on your
own if you choose this option. Dress accordingly. Plan on it being
the opposite of what you want it to be because the facility isn't turn­
ing on the air conditioning or heating yet because all the doors are
open to the outside all day.

Invest in a Hand Truck

Convention centers are vast, enormous facilities. The distance
from your vehicle to the booth location can be hundreds of yards or
easily even more. This makes the schlepper's most important tool
(often overlooked by the first-time exhibitor) a quality, collapsible
cart, also called a "hand truck." You can get a lightweight , collaps­

ible, aluminum hand truck with elastic straps for about $100. Make

sure it's collapsible so it can fit under a booth table or in an overhead
compartment on a plane. Don't skimp. The only Sight more pathetic
than watching a first-time exhibitor searching in vain to borrow
a hand truck is watching someone struggle with a flimsy luggage
cart with toy-car-sized wheels. Been there , done that. I once had
to retrace my steps back down aisles to find the screws from the
wheels on my hand truck. Don't make my mistake.

The key to having a successful trade-show experience is to
choose the best show for your product, then be organized and
prepared. Trade shows are expensive, so treat it with a level
of importance that equals your financial investment and the
potential for the show to put your product on the map. Spend
your time organizing beforehand, so that at the show, you can
focus on just selling and networking.