The Common Scold: TRADESHOW SECRETS

About
The Common Scold

The Common Scold is named after a cause of action that originated in Pilgrim days, when meddlesome, argumentative, opinionated women who displeased the Puritan elders were punished by a brisk dunk in the local pond. Believe it or not, the tort lasted until 1972, when State v. Palendrano, 120 N.J. Super. 336, 293 A.2d 747 (N.J.Super.L., Jul 13, 1972) pretty much put it to rest. But the thought of those feisty women, not afraid of a little cold water, has always cheered me up and inspired me. I first used the moniker as the name of my humor column at the University of San Francisco School of Law many moons ago, and revive it now for this blawg!

« STOP, LOOK, LISTEN | Main | PUSHY PUSHY »

TRADESHOW SECRETS

Jill Windwer of ALM found this absolutely wonderful article from gaspedal.net, which is the best advice I've seen in AGES for attendees of tradeshows.

"Damn, I wish I'd thought of that!" (Unusually useful ideas for smart marketers" has a Top 20 Tips list that is spot-on.

Among the tips:

*Booth babes are for Idiots: Hey, marketing genius -- did you hire sexy models to stand in your booth? You're a moron. Are you 14 years old? Is it 1970? Half of your potential customers are women. You just guaranteed that they will never respect or buy from your company.

* Don't Answer Your Cell Phone: Never, ever answer your phone in the middle of a conversation. Don't even look at it. It's rude. That's what voice mail is for.

* Breath mints.

Of course, as a frequent speaker, I disavow the suggestion to skip the presentations, though :)

July 11, 2005 | Permalink

TrackBack

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8345280a669e200d83424ad9153ef

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference TRADESHOW SECRETS:

» The summer tradeshow season is upon us ... from Inside Opinions: Legal Blogs
Wish I'd had these secrets for success in June! Courtesy of Monica Bay. [Read More]

Tracked on Jul 12, 2005 6:40:34 PM

Comments

Post a comment

Law.com Newswire

An Affiliate of the Law.com Network

From the Law.com Newswire

	Sign up to receive Legal Blog Watch by email
View a Sample

Subscribe to this blog's feed

Tweet Tweet

Follow me on Twitter

Opinion Polls
& Market Research

PODCAST: Law Technology Now

Monica Bay

In this new monthly podcast, editor-in-chief of Law Technology News Monica Bay interviews key experts of the legal technology community on top issues confronting the legal profession.

RSS Feed: LTN Podcast

Monica Bay's Law Technology Now Podcasts are also available as an RSS feed.

Go to RSS Subscribe page

From Law Technology News

LTN Test Drive:

High & Dry:
Headed to the beach? Don't let your laptop drown or you iPod get soggy! Check out the latest ways to keep your equipment waterproofed here.

--Donna Payne

From the July issue of
Law Technology News.

Weber

July President's Corner: CT TyMetrix 360 version 10is billing softwarethat helps general counsel manage their outside counsel relationships. It includes support for alternative fee arrangements and invoice status rollback. The company's general manager, John Weber, says that the alternative fee arrangement templates help general counsel manage blended hourly rates, deal-based billings, fee caps, hourly rate discounts, task-based billing caps and, matter-based rates.

A_LTN_December_2008_p01_Cover

December '08:
Leading the Way: With the economy in crisis, leadership has never been more important. Why IT directors might want to learn more about the business side of their firm -- and maybe even get an MBA. Story here.

Ball in Your Court, by Craig Ball
2007 & 2008 TABBIES Gold Award, Best Column. 2008 ASBPE NE regional Gold winner, Best How To Article. 2007 ASBPE NE Regional Award, Silver, Best Contributed Column.

Click here for links to Ball's columns on our EDD Update blog (See right nav bar).

Web Watch, by Robert J. Ambrogi
2006 TABBIES:
Silver Award, Best Column:
Broken Promises
Podcasting

Technology on Trial
by Claire Duffett:

The Inside Job. (Oct. 07)
Clearing the Smoke. (Aug. 07)
Geoffrey Goes to Court. (Feb. 07)
A Frond Farewell. (Dec. 06)

2006 ASBPE Northeast
Silver, Best Column, Staff-Written:
Snow Job Doesn't Work (Tyco), by John Bringardner
Game Technology Wins the Day, by John Bringardner

Solutions Penalty Box:

Here are current contenders for the most use of incomprehensible jargon and cliches, including the banned word, "solution," in a press release. :)

MONICALOGUES:

June '08: Can You Adapt? EDD is wreaking havoc on traditional law firm caste systems, with new roles for attorneys, paralegals, IT and other litigation support staff. Opportunities abound for the ambitious.

October '07:
An Undercurrent of Fear: LTN's editor-in-chief, Monica Bay, reports on the challenges of e-discovery here.
Winner: Bronze, 2008 Tabbies -- Trade, Association, Business Publications International competition. Best Special Section category. Bronze, Best Technical Article, 2008 NE regional competition, American Society of Business Publication Editors, Best Technical Article category.

Katrina's Wake:
In the April '06 LTN, Monica Bay and photographer Russ Curtis travel to New Orleans, to report on the legal technology community's efforts to rebuild practices and lives post-Hurricane Katrina. Winner: 2007 TABBIES: Honorable Mention, Best Feature.

Fear Factor: Why Lawyers Aren't Using Technology. The ABA's most recent tech survey found that only 11.7% of the nation's lawyers are using ANY trial technology. We interview lawyers, vendors, and consultants to find out why, and the answers are shocking: lawyers are afraid of technology, don't understand it, and are overwhelmed by too many choices. Vendors take some of the blame by not educating lawyers about tech's potential. The dramatic conclusion: lawyers must embrace change, and adopt technology, or they simply will not survive in today's competitive marketplace.

Plane_2

Low Visibility: As law firms move toward a corporate, rather than private club, model of operations, they are bringing in "C-level" executives to help them run their organizations. Yet many law firms still cling to old-school caste systems, where only the attorneys have real power, and everybody else is invisible. What's the litmus test? Take a look at the firm websites. Can you search for the CIO? For the COO? For the HR director? If not, the firm may be paying only lip service to change. Savvy firms realize that if they want to keep top-level executives, they better start treating them like partners.

No solutions! We're determined to build bridges, not walls -- and to explain and demystify technology in our three magazines.

That means no jargon, no acronyms, and no "insider" gobbledygoop. Words like solution, robust, mission-critical, strategic planning, initiatives, deployment are just silly cliches that have become meaningless. We like plain English. Vendors! Flaks! If you mother doesn't understand your press release, don't send it out.

From Law Firm Inc.

Dirty Little Secrets
by Monica Bay
Low Visibility
Interview Faux Pas
Real Lawyers Don't Sell
Fighting Fire with Fire
Holiday Card Games
Lost in Translation

2006 TABBIES Honorable Mention:
Poaching Associates.
Building Bridges, Not Walls

Practical Magic:

Animal Farm:

60/60 = "2005 60 Sites in 60 Minutes," ABA Techshow

The Food Chain:

Marketing Minute:

WiFi Hotspots:

Mountain View, Calif.

Sky Harbor Airport - PHX

City of New Orleans

New Orleans (from Ernie the Atty)

McCarron Airport (Vegas) Free

Akron/Canton Airport

Pull Out Your Checkbook:

Katrina's Wake:

Gore_4

Global Warming

Mon's Book List

Outliers: The Story of Success
*****
Audition: A Memoir
****
The Tipping Point
*****
The Long Tail
*****
The World is Flat
*****
Are Men Necessary
*****
Life Interrupted
*****
blink
*****
Only the Paranoid Survive
*****
Studies in Classic American Literature
*****
Business @ the Speed of Thought
*****

Lawyer Jokes

Weather!

New York Weather Forecast, NY (10016)

Six Hour Flight:

Wacky Webcams:

Webcam1

Incisive Media News:

The Common Scold Quoted:

CONTACT THE
COMMON SCOLD

Common Scold: commonscold@incisivemedia.com
Law Technology News: lawtech@incisivemedia.com
Editorial: 212-457-9601 or 800-888-8300 x9601
Subscriptions: 800-888-8300 or subscriptions@incisivemedia.com
or visit Law Technology News website
Advertising: 800-888-8300 or advertising
Reprints: syndia.torres@incisivemedia.com or 800-888-8300.

About Incisive Media | About Law.com | Customer Support | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions