Often, vendors spend more effort preparing for a trade show and talking about maximizing their efforts there, than they do actually "working" the show. Tim Corcoran of Altman Weil wrote an article about this topic that has some great points to think about when exhibiting (and when interfacing with prospects/external audiences in general) ... How does your team work the booth? Are they engaging but not intimidating? Can you succinctly articulate what makes you/your product or service unique? Do you and your staff make the most of the show and maximize your investment by participating in the networking events?
Sticking with the theme of "vendors trade show/general business preparedness", here are some "tweets" uber-consultant/blogger Matt Homann composed while walking the exhibit hall at the ABA TECHSHOW recently in Chicago...
"Vendors: If the only way you can "sell" your value proposition is with a white paper, you don't have a value proposition." "Vendors, the more your booth looks like everyone else's the more I think your product is too." "Vendors: You do not earn my attention by giving me a pen. You earn it by solving a problem I can't solve without you."