The Problems with Trade Shows (Like Where People Sleep)

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Over the years, I have taken numerous employees to trade shows -- either when we were exhibiting or as a buying trip. And I've learned the hard way that a lot can go wrong:

I've gone out with other companies and watched their people get drunk, leaving indelible impressions on the customer (which in this case was me). Not a good impression. I've had my employees dress in a manner that I didn't think was the way I want my company to be represented. We have long debated how many drinks the company should buy employees when going out for dinner. I have settled on one, although many of my "colleagues" think it should be two. We are still debating this one. It's the only issue that my team has failed to agree on.

And then there's the issue none of us have an answer for: where people sleep. There are cases where taking extra people to a trade show is not imperative but would be a good thing to do. But the prices of hotel rooms in places like New York and Europe have gone up dramatically over the past few years. One solution: I have long had people sharing rooms, which mostly has been okay with them and keeps the costs reasonable enough that I can take more people.

But having people share rooms can cause other problems. How do you decide who shares a room with whom? As I've learned the hard way, you have to take into consideration such things as sexual orientation, management hierarchy, and any other potential "sensitivities," such as those who are self-conscious and those who snore. No one ever said this was easy.

You could take the stand that you would never make people share rooms, but that might eliminate the cost-effectiveness in taking people to the show. As with many expenses for the small- and mid-sized business, these are bottom-line dollars.

Anybody got any suggestions? What have you done for traveling arrangements? Please weigh in.