21 Things You’ve Probably Done at a Trade Show (You Might Never Do Anywhere Else)

If you’ve ever been a trade show exhibitor, not just an attendee, there are some things that happen during the long trade show day you may never consider doing in any other business situation.

While many of these behaviors might seem normal to the seasoned exhibitor, others might as well be considered “weird” to anyone else who has never experienced the trade show floor. We decided it would be fun to collaborate and came up with short list of (funny) situations you may recognize. Check them out and let us know if you have more to add!

1. Wear the same outfit as your co-worker
2. Nonchalantly walk by another booth and grab anything on the table that appears to have a value (candy, hats, pens, mugs…)
3. Chat with an ungodly amount strangers, sometimes about nothing at all
4. Gaze over at the double-padded carpet in booth #828 because your choice of shoes were for fashion and not comfort
5. Party until the wee hours of the morning with co-workers and not ever talk about it after
6. Ask a complete stranger for a breath mint and blame it on the free coffee
7. Pretend the person you are talking to doesn’t need the breath mint more than you
8. Act completely interested in small talk for hours on end
9. Complain about how much you loathe setting up and taking down your booth
10. Be completely convinced that a 15 minute conversation will lead to your biggest sale
11. Explain, once again, to your family that it’s a “business trip” and not a vacation
12. Sneak off to the bathroom just for quiet time
13. Hide behind your booth curtain to scarf down your box lunch
14. Try and find a way not to stare at everyone’s name badge before introducing yourself
15. Convince yourself that the 228 business cards collected are solely interested in your business and not the giveaway
16. Re-introduce yourself to the same person three times
17. Politely take brochures from anyone and everyone walking by because you can’t say no then discard of them after the show when no one’s looking
18. Have a permanent smile on your face to the point your cheeks hurt
19. Stand awkwardly alone in your booth when your co-worker decides they want to walk around
20. Be shocked at how quickly your booth is to take down compared to when you set it up
21. Stress because you can’t find your business cards then remember throwing them in the bottom of your the display case at the end of your last trade show