10. Forget to bring any trade show literature or giveaways. If you’re trying to be forgotten right after the show is over, this is the best way to accomplish that.

9. Pick the wrong show to exhibit. If you’re a company with a tiny budget, don’t try to blend in to a massive show where companies have million dollar trade show budgets. You’ll look out of your league.

8. Hire and misuse trade show models. While models usually work well to attract attention to your booth, using them poorly will scare away your legitimate customers.

7. Don’t bother planning before the show begins.

6. Allow your booth staffers to have conversations on their cell phones during the show. Exhibiting at a trade show needs to be your biggest chore, and even current client phone calls shouldn’t take presidence.

5. Design busy graphics. Trade show displays are not museum exhibits, and it is important to understand that no one will read anything at a trade show unless it takes less than three seconds.

4. Don’t pay careful attention to show regulations before you exhibit. Your entire booth may not qualify to exhibit at the show, and it is not uncommon for exhibitors to find this out at the show (after paying for flights and hotel rooms).

3. Over staff or under staff your trade show booth. Two workers per 10 x 10 will be sufficient to properly staff your booth.

2. Don’t collect or record any leads, just grab business cards from people you are interested in talking to again.

1. Don’t follow up after the show is over.