One of the most interesting pieces of research I have ever seen about exhibitions divides exhibitors into two communities. The first set say that exhibitions are hard work, but worthwhile. The second set, and this is a roughly 50/50 split, say that exhibitions are hard work and they don't know if they are worthwhile. Exhibitions are hard work. There is no simple way of dealing with that. The challenge for your as an exhibitor is to think about strategies which move the hard work into the admin box, that move the hard work into the project management box and allow the creative fun work to be what the stand looks like, how it functions, how the people behave, how you are attracting people to your stand, and how you are following up those leads. If you redress that balance in terms of the project, then you will get more success and the exhibitions will seem less like hard work, because they are more fun.
