Trade shows need to be about more than just one-upping your neighbor with an amazing booth or better bag fillers. Trade shows are conduits of revenue. Companies have a captive audience and a huge opportunity for introductions and leads. Without these, there is no follow-up and no ROI to justify the investment in attending.  

In this guide, 190west discusses common problems to avoid with trade show marketing:

• Only concentrating on pre-show marketing and larger-than-life booth experiences.
• Failure to effectively follow-up with contacts after the trade show.
• Focusing on getting attention, but not lead generation.