There is a lot trade show advice that can be either really obvious or not very helpful.  Every once in a while you come across an idea that is both obvious and really helpful.  And that is what this trade show marketing tip from Tom Adams is.

We all know about the pens and the buttons, the key chains and the posters.  The theory is: let’s give away something with our logo on it and it will be good for brand equity.  And then there are the contests: enter to win a free iPod.  Yes, giveaways have certain brand value, but Tom’s advice is that if you want to snag contact information, give away something that you’d normally sell.  That ensures that only your targeted audience will show interest.  A month of free service or parts or even a full-fledged product as a give away means that it will be worthless to a casual passerby but hugely valuable to your target audience.  It’s a good theory, but anyone put it to practice?

You can read Tom’s blog here: http://tomadams.com/

Anyone have a good give away story?  Bad?  Ugly?  Leave a comment and let us know!

Visit The Rogers Company website for more helpful trade show tips. For over 66 years The Rogers Company has been an award winning designer and manufacturer of branded environments for trade show exhibits, corporate events, lobbies, showrooms and retail environments – essentially any place where communicating your brand is vital.