Participants won’t soon forget this meeting—and why? Because my client made it fun, and fun creates memorability.

In the trade show industry, we work hard. We work long hours, over weekends and holidays, 24/7. We are focused on details, and at least speaking for myself, we enjoy our work. But sometimes we forget that work can and should be enjoyable. We get to travel to wonderful places, experience food, culture, and customs that most people don’t even dream about. We have the opportunity to open our minds and hearts to experiences outside our comfort zone.

We all have some vestige of Puritanism in our work ethic. At some level, we believe that if we do nothing but work, stress out, and put in long hours—whether necessary or not—that we will get some sort of reward. But meanwhile, we are missing out on so much. One thing I find in my work is too often exhibitors stay in their hotel rooms when they are not on the show floor, order familiar food from room service, and only talk to work colleagues when they could be exploring all the amazing things the APAC region has to offer.

One client told me that she had made a promise to herself: she would go to at least one unique event or visit a local museum in every city where she was working. I hope she keeps her promise. Lean on your local exhibit partners for some ideas how you can make your stay more interesting and more enjoyable. At Idea International, we love to tell our clients about local attractions whether in Shanghai or Sydney. Our motto “Peace of Mind a half world away” allows you to have some fun and absorb the culture in our part of the world.

Writing in the current issue of Exhibit City News, Brian Baker VP at Highmark TechSystems, says, “Try to keep the work fun. Try to stay positive and encourage a fun environment that doesn’t take itself too seriously. We are blessed to be in an industry that is a lot more fun than most. We are surrounded by creative people with odd sensibilities and numerous talents. If you can’t have fun on a regular basis while you are working hard, you are doing it wrong.”