Overheard complaints about tradeshow marketing, the travel, the show and other things…?
- It’s expensive.
- You usually gotta travel.
- Logistics are a bear.
- Shipping an exhibit costs an arm and a leg.
- Did I mention the drayage? Oy….
- Standing on your feet all day.
- You don’t get to sleep in your own bed for a few days.
- My suitcase didn’t fit in the trunk of the rental car.
- Getting in an airplane. Yikes. Not a middle seat!
- So many unexpected challenges on the road.
- Deadlines, deadlines.
- Who are all of these people? I don’t know any of these people!
- Our hired ‘pro’ presenter really blew it that time.
- I thought YOU had the leads!
- Yeah, we just put up a fishbowl to collect business cards to give away an iPod. Got some great leads!
- No, we’re not on Facebook. Should we be?
- Yeah, I heard that Twitter thing was a waste of time.
- YouTube? Why should we be on YouTube? I thought that was only for funny cat videos.
- The coffee here in (fill in the blank) sucks.
- The bars don’t have any microbrews like we do back home.
- Geez, the time change is really throwing me off.
- That last guy asked so many questions I finally told him to leave.
- Hey, I think I’m gonna go hit on that girl at the booth around the corner. Be right back!
- No, I can’t meet tonight. There’s a game on TV.
- I’d rather be at home.
Okay, complaining is fun. Maybe you have your own?
Tim Patterson has been helping companies navigate the trade show world since 2002. He owns TradeshowGuy Exhibits and writes here about exhibit design, marketing, industry trends, and lessons learned from more than two decades on the show floor.
I love this list and I’ve heard them all. To this I’d add. “I’d love to talk with you but I have to take this cell phone call.”