In the trade publications you will find excellent information about new products and ideas, plus many advertisers offering products that you can market. This directory is published in three volumes annually and contains lists of American manufacturers classified by products with detailed descriptions of the product, plus much more beneficial information. Tell the librarian you are interested in publications as a source for new products and ideas. You will be surprised at the amount of information available. Each time I visit the library I always find another great source of information.
Most major cities sponsor trade shows.
You should try to visit some during the course of the year. Remember, the more you expose yourself to the industry, the more you will get out of it. Even if you think it does not pertain to you directly, you will usually walk away with something beneficial such as ideas or concepts. There is a tremendous amount of information available due to the Freedom of Information Act, and a lot of it can be found on the World Wide Web. Also, keep on the business opportunity section of the paper to get an idea of what is going on around you.