No matter whether you’re brand new to exhibit marketing or have been exhibiting at trade shows for years, there’s one area where your mistakes are costing you – big time! Connecting with leads/prospects are the reason for exhibiting at any show, so if you’re not doing that part right, you might as well stay home. Costly Mistake #1: Failing to define what makes a qualified lead. When you exhibit, do you come home with a stack of business cards that you call leads? You’re fooling yourself! A lead is not a piece of paper or business card with a name