1. THE PROFESSIONAL WOMANS GUIDE TO DRESSING FOR A TRADE SHOW IT

2. TABLE OF CONTENTSThe Professional Womans Guide toDressing for a Trade Show 4Badge Reels: Function and Fashion10 3. The Professional Womans Guide to Dressing for aTrade ShowTrade shows can be fun and interesting; muchlike attending a professional conference. Also like a conference, trade shows often include long days of meeting and greeting. In all of this mingling that is done at a trade show or conference, a person has several sometimes hundreds of encounters in which they will make a first impression. And as you know, you 4. only get one chance to make it a good one! Because of the sheer nature of a tradeshow, it is very important that theprofessionalwomanlook the part.Meetings are brief and sometimes hurried.Everyone in attendance will meet manypeople and therefore make snappyjudgments. Those initial judgments canmake or break your opportunity to create anew working relationship. And, thoseinitial judgments are based on what you arewearing and how you are wearing it. First, lets look at what you are wearing.Trade shows are not always as formal as a 5. work environment; but that doesnt meanthat you show up in sweats and tennisshoes. What you wear to a trade show isreflective of the professional you hold andalso a reflection of your company orbusiness. This is true regardless of whetheryou are an attendee or an exhibitor. Manytrade shows will offer a guideline for dresswith their brochure or registrationmaterials. If you are in doubt, ask aroundwith others who have attended tradeshows. Most of the time, the attire at a tradeshow will be business casual. This meansthat you can lose the high heels and suits 6. for a few days. However, you still want tobe mindful of your wardrobe pieces. Whileyou may not wear a suit, you will still wantto wear comfortable slacks in lieu of yourwell-worn jeans. Instead of wearing a lowcut tank top, you would still wear a buttonup blouse or crew-neck sweater. If youwear a tank top to a trade show, it would bean undergarment worn with a cardigansweater. How you wear what you wear is thesecond thing that people will notice at tradeshows. Just as you would at work, youwant to make sure your clothing is pressed 7. and presentable. Pants should fit well andnot hang too low. The same goes for whatis worn on top. A trade show is a place tomake professional connections and you willtherefore dress for that sole purpose. Part of the standard trade show attire isthat of badge holders. Every person whoattends or presents at a trade show cantypically be seen with a ribbon lanyardaround their neck. While badge holders area necessary item, there is no need to bestuck wearing a ribbon lanyard featuringthe logo of a company marketing theirproduct. When you attend a trade show,you can look and feel great wearing a 8. ribbon lanyard of your own choosing. Infact, you could go the extra mile if you sochoose and purchase a lanyard decoratedwith classy beads. Trade shows are about gaining or givinginformation on new products and services;but even more importantly, they are theplace where a professional woman canshow what shes made of. Looking the partis the first step in gaining credibility inyour profession. 9. Badge Reels: Function and Fashion Many employees today wear badge reelsas a way to display their ID card, badge orproximity card. Badge reels are clips thatattach to the clothing; allowing an IDbadge to be easily seen and used. The IDcan be slipped inside of a plastic badgeholder that is then attached to the clip.Sometimes the clip contains a retractablecord. Retractable badge reels are ideal for 10. employees whose ID badges must beswiped. The retractable cord makes it easyto pull the ID out and swipe it for access todifferent areas of their workplace. Badge reels come in a variety of styles.We have already looked at two majordesigns of badge reels: the retractable andthe stationary. But there are even moredetails that one can find when looking forthe right badge reel for themselves or fortheir employees. One of the most populartypes of badge reels is the no-twist style.What this means is that the reel contains apiece that is meant to prevent the ID cardfrom getting twisted. 11. Some badge reels are clipped ontoclothing, while others can be worn on alanyard. A lanyard is a cord that can beworn around the neck or the wrist.Typically, employees choose the neck style.This style is less cumbersome and easier touse when the ID badge needs to be swipedor shown regularly throughout the day.However, the lanyard doesnt work in allsituations. Lab technicians, for instance,may prefer to use badge reels that clip toclothing in order to prevent any items fromdangling between them and their work.The design of the badge reel that you wearis a way to enhance your outfit and present 12. your own personal fashion flair. Somebadge reels are round and some are square.However, the badge holder that you wearto work does not have to feature a plainmetal clip. Your badge reel doesnt have tolook industrial. Ifyou workin aprofessional environment and you wantyour overall look to reflect your attitude,you dont want your ID badge to get in theway of that. When you must wear an ID badge everyday all day, why not make it a part of yourclothing that stands out positively ratherthan something you wish to hide? 13. Badge reels dont have to be plain and theydont have to feature only a company logo.With a little searching, it is possible to finda badge reel that displays your personalstyle to a T. Styles exist for both men andwomen and can feature everything fromflowers to the emblem of your favoritecollege. The badge reel is a necessary tool for theindividual who must wear an ID badge towork.Finding a badge reel that is bothfunctional and fashionable is a real treat.When you wear a designer badge reel, youlook and feel your best every day! 14. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT BADGE HOLDERAND BADGE REEL,PLEASE CHECK OUTWWW.BOOJEEBEADS.COM