When I first exhibited at a technology trade show in 1987 it was not uncommon for the show organizer to give exhibitors access to the attendee list to send direct mail to attendees before the show. In fact exhibitors without household names who did not use direct mail, use telemarketing or hire some expensive traffic builder to reach out to the registered attendees usually had disappointing results. Magicians, Harley Davidson drawings and the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders were big draws at the technology shows back then. Then came email and it opened up a whole new…
