You can also visit the Company Doctor's web site.
Trade shows can be gold mines of information.
Assuming you target the most appropriate trade shows for your marketplace, they are fertile grounds for learning a competitor's strategy, a supplier's tactics, a customer's marketing goals and overall industry trends. Have marketing look for the competition's merchandising strategies, engineers look for innovative technology breakthroughs, sales identify potential new customers and closing strategies, and everyone be on the lookout for novel operational applications. In keeping with your overall agenda, each member of the team should have specific agreed-upon objectives. Prior to the opening of the show, hold a pre-show meeting with the team, so that each member agrees on his or her specific objectives. This should include passing out maps of the exhibits and lists of the seminars, with the targeted ones marked for specific team members.