Hey, Kim

I started doing this at the annual Houston Rodeo several decades ago and got a ton of business from people.

When I moved to San Diego in 1993 I didn't have a need to do anything similar until 2001 with my home inspection company. My employees wanted me to get a booth at the then-named Del Mar Fair but the cost was something like $1,000 for 22 days and one had to commit to staffing the booth every day from opening to closing. My employees thought it would be fun to have a booth, but none of them wanted to commit to their share of the 22 days. They just wanted to come and go as they pleased while I sat out there for 12 hours every day for 22 days. In other words, they just figured they'd get into the Fair for free as a vendor but wouldn't have to do any work, and since I'd be out there for 22 days, they'd basically get a 22-day vacation. They thought I was stupid, but there was a reason why I owned the company and they worked for me - LOL.

Anyway, I told them I would pay for a day at the Fair for them and their family if they would each take 500 business cards and leave one at each vendor booth. They could have thrown the cards in the trash, but considering how much business we got after that first Fair, I knew they didn't, especially when our new Clients told me that they had picked up our card in their booth at the Fair

The proof is in the pudding. I've been doing it ever since and have a noticeable spike in business after the Fair.

*****

Hey, Sharon - See my long comment to Kim immediately above.

Hey, Kathleen - Cheap and fun are the best, especially when it results in lots of business and a bundle of money.

Hey, Tony - See my first comment above, to Kim. Another fun, inexpensive to handle these expensive and long-running shows is to get a booth with a Power Partner, sharing expenses, staffing time, etc.

Hey, Carole - And the more specialized one's business is - home inspections, Feng Shui, etc. - the lonelier those booths can get. And spending the money to give away a BMW 760i in a drawing to get people to come to your booth doesn't necessarily pay for itself.

Hey, Rebecca - I'm actually quite surprised that I have not heard of more people doing this. I learned it from a friend back in 1978 at the Houston Rodeo and Fair.