Exhibiting at a tradeshow can be a huge, exciting opportunity for your company, and you obviously wants to capitalize on the attendees exploring the venue, displays, and sessions.

That’s why Online Registration Review consultant and writer Cathy Key has written a post on Event Manager Blog about the five rookie mistakes that often prevent tradeshow appearances from being as successful as they could be.

“Statistics show that [tradeshows] are highly effective. 77 percent of decision makers report finding at least one new supplier at the last show they attended,” Key writes. But, she notes, it takes hard work to be effective.

She highlights five common traps tradeshow neophytes fall into:

• Not having a clear-cut objective before launching a exhibit
• Putting emphasis on quantity—the number of potential leads generated—instead of their quality
• Insufficient preparation for the relationship-building needed to pitch your offerings
• Giveaways for the masses
• Too little emphasis on social media

For a more thorough explanation of each of those pitfalls, read Key’s full post here.

Tool of the Day

Introducing Curator, a new way to find and display great Twitter content: https://t.co/JJVPpMDkDL pic.twitter.com/CdYDT1E11S

— Live (@Live) March 31, 2015

To compete with third-party services that aggregate tweets, such as Storify, Twitter has launched its own tool called Curator. Publishers can request access to the tool, which includes integration with its certified partners, right here.

Other Good Reads

In the latest installment of SocialFish‘s series of interviews with association social media managers, blogger Maddie Grant speaks with Society for Vascular Ultrasound Membership and Digital Marketing Specialist Katie Saba about how she tackles social media.

If a survey by the American Psychological Association is right, nearly 25 percent of employees don’t trust their employer. So Institute of Management Accountants President and CEO Jeff Thomson spoke to Jack Haren, president and former chief financial officer of Mohawk Fine Papers, about fostering trust in an interview posted on Forbes.

Looking for a new tactic to increase retention? Informz Digital Marketing Strategist Vivian Swertinski writes about the power of adopting personas in a new post.

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