The summer Trade Show Season is upon us, and there are so many opportunities to gain free information while in attendance. Here are a few tips for you to maximize your time, while shopping the aisles in Denver, Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle.... wherever you are!

Don't miss the seminars! Many shows now offer seminars & presentations free of charge, and some are even located on a stage on the main show floor. This saves you time - no schlepping off to a conference room on another floor. Sit down for an hour, rest your tired feet, and gain some great inishts and information from industry experts as you do it. This is a great time to grab lunch or a mid-day snack, too. Multi-tasking at its best!

There are a - dare I say it? - plethora of great display ideas at trade shows. Big companies pay professional designers to create eye-catching, show-stopping displays of their products. Maybe you can't afford to hire them for your store, but you can sure learn from them for free. Instead of just ordering product from the big guys, take a look around their booths. Notice how the products are displayed, how scale, composition, and color are used to grab your eye and make the merchandise POP. Many of the concepts here can be adapted for use in your store - not copied, mind you. Copying is for amateurs. Use the information you gain to express your own unique style. Individuality is the name of the game now.

Small companies also do a great job of utilizing their 10 X 10 booth space to focus on their products. I've seen innumerable vignettes created that translate into a perfect look in a boutique to present the same products. (Think of Vera Bradley - the company even provides the fixtures to shops so that every display has that 'showroom brand' image.) This is one instance where copying is good - the manufacturers have done the work for you to help sell their products!

Make time to check out the featured product displays - usually located near the main entrance to a show and called 'Launching Pad', 'TrendSetters', etc. In San Francisco, the area is 60 X 20. In Seattle, it's 30 X 30. That holds a LOT of products and a ton of ideas for you. Not just visual merchandising ideas, either - take notice of what products are cross-merchandised together. You may find a few new items to complement  your current lines without walking the whole show!

While shopping and walking, notice what other people are wearing. Even if you don't sell fashion or accessories, the way people dress - colors, styles, etc. - are indicative of current and coming trends. We wear colors we love, and then we begin decorating our homes with them. Is casual style prevalent, or a more tailored approach? Looking at trends here will help you make decisions in your product buying. Trends begin in fashion - on the runway - and move outward from there into other industries. Keep your eyes open for the next big thing, and deliver it to your customers!

My best trade show shopping tip? Book a hotel that has a hot tub.
You don't even need a swimsuit to pop your tired tootsies in there each night!

PS: If you'll be attending the Seattle Gift Show in August, don't miss my seminar on Monday, August 18th. Come by and say hello! More info here: http://www.seattlegift.com/programsevents.html#MONDAY