Effective trade show booth design is structured around a focal point. Most often, this is your display. Be it a banner stand, a pop-up display, or a hybrid display, these structures fill your space and set the tone for the rest of your booth. However, your display needs support. It needs back-up devices to help it shine and further your overall message.

Hello! Welcome to the wonderful world of trade show displays!

No one wants to flop, especially when trying something new - like a trade show. Unfortunately, being new puts you at a disadvantage. You're overwhelmed, prone to mistakes and just plain nervous. Despite your best intentions, you aren't functioning at your best. This is part and parcel of being a novice. It's going to happen on some level.

There's nothing like having some elbow room, especially at a trade show where space is at a premium. Choosing a big space is a big decision - and a big investment. You don't want to squander it.

Rules and regulations. Each trade show has a daunting list of them and they vary by show and venue. You can't assume the rules and regulations from one show carry over to the next.

If you feel like you shouldn’t be somewhere, fake it. Do it not until you make it – but until you become it.

– Amy Cuddy

Trade shows are great opportunities to get the word out about your company's products or services. With the right degree of planning and effort, participation in trade shows can be well worth the marketing dollars spent. This said, trade shows can also be overwhelming to visitors who are bombarded with visual, auditory and other stimuli from the moment they walk in the door.

While trade shows are a very serious and important part of many companies' sales and business development strategies, crazy things sometimes happen. We asked the LinkedIn community to share the craziest trade show tactics they've seen. The post struck a chord.

The trade show industry, like all industries, has its fair share of myths. Whether you're new to trade shows or an old hand, you've probably heard your fill. Which are fact? Which are fiction? Luckily, new sophisticated CRM systems, marketing automation platforms, and other technologies are exposing many of them for what they are: unfounded.

Marketing and sales teams are responsible for demonstrating positive and concrete return on investment (ROI) for trade show participation. This isn't news.