7 Ways to Avoid Free Literature Chaos at Process Expo

It never fails. When you attend a trade show like Process Expo, you’ll come out with a mountain of free literature — and no idea what to do with it.

Think about it: every booth you visit will have at least one brochure or flier or business card to hand you. If you visit 100 booths during your time at Process Expo, that’s anywhere from 100-500 pieces of literature to handle.

It can get out of hand pretty quickly.

So how do you handle the mountains of free literature coming your way, and try to tame the chaos? We’ve put together 7 tips to help you avoid the free literature craziness.

On the Show Floor:

Grab a Process Expo Bag

Trade show bags definitely aren’t the most fashionable, but there’s a reason Process Expo offers bags — they are a great way to carry around all the free literature and gifts exhibitors will give you. The trade show bag gives you a place to stick all the free stuff you’re going to pick up while keeping your hands free.

Pick up a bag. You can thank us later.

Only Take Literature You Need

It will be tempting to take all the literature and free gifts exhibitors want to give you — even if the information doesn’t benefit you. When we see FREE, we want it!

When an exhibitor offers you information or a free gift, take a step back and ask yourself: is this information or free gift valuable to me or to one of my coworkers? It will be easy to accumulate catalogs and brochures on information you don’t even need, and have to throw away later.

Politely decline information that doesn’t apply to you, and take the information that will add value to your business.

Opt for the Digital Version

Want to avoid the plethora of brochures, catalogs, and handouts you’ll receive at Process Expo? Ask exhibitors to send you the electronic version! It will save you the clutter of piles of literature and keep you from accidentally throwing away the wrong literature.

In the Evenings:

Organize by Coworker

Are you picking up literature for a coworker? Take a few minutes each night to organize your pile by coworker. Use a binder clip or put them in a manila envelope with your coworker’s name on it. Then stick all the literature for that coworker together.

It will cut down on the amount of brochures and fliers sprawling out in your suitcase and make it easier to deliver the literature when you get back to work.

Use Sticky Notes

Seriously. Sticky notes are amazing — and a great way to jot down a few notes to remind you why you picked up that free literature in the first place.

Let’s be honest: by the time you get back to work from Process Expo, you’ll likely forget why you thought that catalog or brochure was important. Taking a few minutes each night to put a quick reminder on a sticky note will help you be more organized when you get back to work.

Jot Down Notes

Take the sticky note idea to the next level and jot down some notes each night about who you visited and what equipment or services you were interested in.

With hundreds of exhibitors at Process Expo, it won’t be easy to keep them all straight in your head when you’re back in the office. Taking time to jot down some thoughts, what equipment you were interested in, and what your next step might be after the show will help you immensely.

Throw it Out

Did you pick up a brochure or flier you don’t really need? Having second thoughts about the free gift once you got off the show floor? Don’t try to take it all back to the office and sort it there.

After you’ve gone through your spoils of the day, throw out anything you don’t really need. It will help you transition back to work easier, make your suitcase lighter, and cut down on the chaos after the show.

Check Out Our Literature

The Fusion Tech booth will be stocked with our latest catalogs for you to pick up and take with you. If you want to get a jump start on the crowds, or would rather opt for the digital version, you can download copies of the catalogs today! Simply click the button below and choose the catalogs you want to download.

[Background image via Dvortygirl cc]