I’ve been attending trade shows ever since I graduated from college. I’ll never forget my first trade show. I went to assist a buyer at a national surf and beach wear show. Needless to say my head was spinning. Since then I’ve attended countless technical and computer industry shows, as well as the circuit of recreational marine industry trade shows since 2003.

Most of the time I’ve spent at trade shows has been on “booth duty”. To use a fishing analogy, booth duty is similar to trolling for billfish. The monotony of standing around twiddling your thumbs is occasionally interrupted by a fish strike, whereby the anglers drop the beers, leap up and scramble to grab a rod.

I’ve never had one of those really cool booths that attracts a big crowd. Scantily clad models and mock game shows have never meshed with my marketing model. I remember how jealous I used to be of some exhibitors though. Back in the mid-90s, the biggest hit at the defense and aerospace shows was Silicon Graphics. They used to bring their F-18 flight simulator, tricked out with surround sound and booth babes to lure in the wannabe fighter pilots. They always drew a big crowd, but where is Silicon Graphics today?

Not all tradeshows are built alike. Some trade shows are “steady” as traffic is good throughout most of the day. Other shows are just plain slower. But as a vendor who markets products to the people that attend various trade shows, there is this compulsion that you “have to be there”, even if the show is traditionally slow or possibly not ideally suited for you. You might miss something or someone. You never know when that perfect prospect will happen by your booth. In addition, you need to be there to let your customers know you are still in business.

I am not buying this anymore. No I am not saying that we are cutting our trade shows altogether. On the contrary we are scheduled to exhibit at the IMI Emerging Applied Technology Show and the Marine Dealer Conference. However I am rethinking which shows to exhibit at and which shows to simply “attend”.

You miss quite a bit by exhibiting and not attending. The most valuable interactions I typically have with people at a trade show are not within my booth, but in the hall between sessions or in the concession areas. People seem more at easy and not guarded as if being sold more cleaner than one could use in a life time.

This year and in 2010 we are going to “walk” a couple of shows that we’ve exhibited at in the past. This week is the International Boat Builders Exhibition and Conference (www.ibexshow.com). We will not have a booth at the show this year. This is a big change for us as we’ve exhibited at this show for the last 15+ years. However in this economy when we are trying to do everything we can to stretch a dollar, I cannot justify the expense of a trade show booth at IBEX. So, I will be walking the show as an attendant. I will still be wearing my company shirt and working to strengthen relationships with people that I connect with. I hope to see you there.