When you are on an exhibition stand you are there to attract as many people over as possible. And when they get there, you want them to think well of your company. And ultimately you want them to buy more products from your company.

Why is it then that we see so many poorly dressed, ill-mannered, unenthusiastic people manning exhibition stands? When a company spends thousands on the display, more on the space at the event, weeks of preparation and even more on invites and tie-in advertising, all this investment can be undone by a poor show on the stand itself.

We have spent years helping people to get more out of their exhibition space. And we have learnt dozens of excellent ideas for generating more enquiries and interest from visitors. However, the main lessons seem to be things NOT to do rather than things that should be done. So here are the 10 most powerful bits of advice we can give to anyone looking to exhibit at a conference or seminar.

1. Don