A Poetic Entry On The Value Of Trade Shows
Before their show last year, InfoComm offered a free trip to the show for their favorite entry of an acrostic poem. (An acrostic is a poem where the first letter of each line spells out a word.) The show required that entries used the words InfoComm or Las Vegas or Audiovisual.
So I took a shot, letting my inner poet out for a walk … around a show hall and trade show booths. The result is a poem that extols the value not only of InfoComm, but of trade shows overall, and also kind of an acrostic on steroids, as every word in each line starts with the same letter.
Here’s my entry:
Ingenious Inventions Increase Interest Internationally
New Networkers Need Negotiating Nexus
Fantastic Floor Fuels Fame, Fortune
Only Occasion Originating Outstanding Orders
Conventioneers Converge Cultivating Cherished Contacts
Organized Oasis Of Original Options
Multitudes Mustn’t Miss Magical Mechanisms
Marketing Machine Makes Meetings Multiply!
Unfortunately for me, I did not win the free trip. That was won by Paul Spadafora (congrats, Paul!) for his superior verse. So I missed my chance to see all the cool trade show displays and new AV inventions.
But writing the poem did give me a chance to think in a different way about how trade show exhibits are a valuable place to see new products, network with peers, and generate sales leads. And I shared my poem with you to remind you of their enduring value (far more enduring than my poem!).
Maybe next year they’ll ask for a poem in iambic pentameter … Is this the show that launched ten thousand sales? … If so, I’ll be ready.
If you’re curious, here’s the poem contest announcement, and the winning entry from Paul Spadafora.
And feel free to add your own poetic creations singing the value of trade shows in the comments box below.
By: Mike Thimmesch –