If INPEX® isn’t your first trade show, you’ve undoubtedly experienced the lull that happens at other industry trade shows. For whatever reason, at certain times the show floor just seems quiet and a little less traveled. Maybe you’ve also experienced the frustration of seeing attendees visiting your neighbor’s booth, but continuing to walk right past your booth. I’d like to share some tips which may help you figure out why attendees may be passing up your booth and what you can do to solve that problem and get more booth traffic!

1. Your booth looked too boring.  Like too many other exhibitors, your trade show booth has dull colors, too much text and too many small images.
2. Your benefit was not clear.  With all that text, or else none at all, your trade show booth graphics didn’t quickly communicate your product — and why it’s worth visiting your booth.
3. Your booth staffers don’t look appealing.  They looked unprofessional, uninterested, unmotivated, and pre-occupied — not the kind of people a potential customer wants to talk to — let alone buy from, for that matter.
4. Your booth staff didn’t attempt to engage the attendee.  Rather than offer a greeting or ask a question, they stared into space, or talked with each other, or into the phone.
5. Your booth space lacks activity.  It looks too dull compared to other exhibitors who are having energetic conversations, presentations, demos, and more.
6. Your booth wasn’t invited.  Attendees only have so much time to visit booths, so those that asked him to visit before the show get first dibs.  Or perhaps…
7. The attendee already has an appointment.  He breezed past you on the way to a meeting with another exhibitor further into the hall.  But you can still get him on his return trip — if he walks down your aisle again.

The above tips were taken from Skylinetradeshowtips.com.

For more information about exhibiting at INPEX® 2012, held June 13-15 at the Monroeville Convention Center in Pittsburgh, contact us at 1-888-54-INPEX to book your booth today!

I’m writing to you as I pack my bags for lucky Las Vegas and the Electronic Retailing Association’s (ERA) annual convention!

Held September 13-15, the ERA D2C Show is the only trade show dedicated to direct response retail sales and product development on TV, radio and online.

I’m proud to report that the InventHelp’s INPEX® New Product Showcase is once again sold out, with 37 inventors getting the chance to present their new products to companies in the direct response television industry! Because this show is typically closed to the average inventor, this is a really exciting and unique opportunity for our clients.

During the three day show, the inventors will attend educational seminars and present their product to a panel of direct marketers and retailers for a chance to be crowned, “Inventor of the Year.”

Also, for the third year in a row, the top five scoring inventors will have the chance to see their product pitched on stage by professional pitchmen & women in front of a live audience.

I’m so excited to go to Las Vegas and meet everyone, and I can’t wait to see who wins “Inventor of the Year!”

Check back in two weeks to see who the big winners were and for a recap of the 2011 ERA D2C Show!

If you have a product that you think you might be able to sell on television, the InventHelp-INPEX New Product Showcase at Electronic Retailing Association’s (ERA) annual convention will be held September 13-15, 2011, at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. This showcase will give inventors the opportunity to present their new products to companies in the direct response television industry.

The ERA D2C Show is the only trade show dedicated to direct response retail sales and product development on TV, radio and online! During the three day show, inventors who have booked booth space will attend educational seminars and present their product to a panel of direct marketers and retailers for a chance to be crowned, “Inventor of the Year.”

Also, the top five scoring inventors will have the chance to see their product pitched on stage by professional pitchmen & women in front of a live audience. Inventions are chosen based on DRTV pitchability and DRTV potential.

At INPEX® 2011, twenty inventors were selected by an ERA panel from for an invitation to participate in the New Product Showcase. Along with these inventors, we’re also inviting any inventor who thinks they have an appropriate product to book booth space. Space is first come, first serve, and inventors will need to fill out a vetting form about their invention so that experts from the DRTV industry can pre-qualify them to exhibit at the show.

To see if your invention or new product qualifies to participate in the InventHelp-INPEX New Product Showcase contact me, Nicole Hait, at (412) 288-2136 x4159 or email nhait@inpex.com

As I mentioned last week, Chris Schutte did take home the “Inventor of the Year” prize at ERA D2C in Las Vegas for his invention, The Steamie. But, Chris wasn’t the only inventor whose invention received some rave reviews from a panel of direct marketers and retailers at the show. Thirty-nine other inventors in the Inventhelp-INPEX New Product Showcase had the opportunity to present their DRTV products for a chance to see it pitched by a professional pitchman (or woman) right on the show floor during show hours! What a fun event and a great opportunity for five lucky inventors to get a glimpse of their product being hawked by some familiar faces in the DRTV industry.

The inventions were rated on a scale of 1 to 10 for DRTV Pitchability and DRTV Potential.

And the winners are:

Tripod Ladder System – Alan Lo of Troy Michigan

The Steamie – Chris Schutte of Suwanee, Georgia

The Pizzarette – Rob Smedema from The Netherlands

Cool It Now! Chill Cup – Carol Wilding of Pompano Beach, Florida

The Hair Hound – Rhonda Tragesser from Clermont, Florida

Congratulations to all the inventors in the InventHelp-INPEX New Product Showcase! We hope to see you all at INPEX 2011, June 14-17 right here in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

I’ve returned from Las Vegas and the ERA D2C annual convention held last week at the Wynn Hotel. What a great show! There were some great networking opportunities for our inventors in the InventHelp-INPEX New Product Showcase!

As promised, I told you I’d keep you all posted on the winner of “Inventor of the Year.”

InventHelp & INPEX is proud to announce that the winner is…

Chris Schutte, of Suwanee, Georgia, for his invention, “The Steamie.”

Forty inventors from the InventHelp-INPEX New Product Showcase pitched their products to a panel of experts from the Direct Response Industry. Inventions were judged by their DRTV pitchability and DRTV potential. As a prize, Chris received 2 complimentary passes to the ERA Moxie Awards, held Thursday evening at the close of the show. I was honored to present Chris with a trophy at the ceremony on behalf of InventHelp & INPEX, recognizing his achievement at being named “Inventor of the Year.”

Chris exhibited The Steamie at INPEX® 2010 in June, where he presented his product to the ERA panel, and was pre-qualified and invited by them to attend their show in Las Vegas. The Steamie is an adjustable steaming grill that once inserted into a pot, enables foods such as hot dogs, tortillas, lobster or leftovers to be steamed while other foods are boiling. Chris had inventors and business attendees alike waiting in line to taste-test his delicious hot dog samples!

Congratulations to Chris, and to all of our inventors! It was a great week and a fantastic show!