The Professional Woman’s Guide to Dressing for a Trade Show

THE PROFESSIONAL WOMANS
GUIDE TO DRESSING FOR A
TRADE SHOW

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TABLE OF CONTENTS


The Professional Woman’s Guide to
Dressing for a Trade Show
4


Badge Reels: Function and Fashion 10

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The Professional Woman’s
Guide to Dressing for a
Trade Show
Trade shows can be fun and interesting;
much like 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

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only get one chance to make it a good one!
Because of the sheer nature of a trade
show, it is very important that the
professional
woman
look
the
part.
Meetings are brief and sometimes hurried.
Everyone in attendance will meet many
people
and
therefore
make
snappy
judgments. Those initial judgments can
make or break your opportunity to create a
new working relationship. And, those
initial judgments are based on what you are
wearing and how you are wearing it.
First, let’s look at what you are wearing.
Trade shows are not always as formal as a

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work environment; but that doesn’t mean
that you show up in sweats and tennis
shoes. What you wear to a trade show is
reflective of the professional you hold and
also a reflection of your company or
business. This is true regardless of whether
you are an attendee or an exhibitor. Many
trade shows will offer a guideline for dress
with
their
brochure
or
registration
materials. If you are in doubt, ask around
with others who have attended trade
shows.
Most of the time, the attire at a trade
show will be business casual. This means
that you can lose the high heels and suits

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for a few days. However, you still want to
be mindful of your wardrobe pieces. While
you may not wear a suit, you will still want
to wear comfortable slacks in lieu of your
well-worn jeans. Instead of wearing a low
cut tank top, you would still wear a button
up blouse or crew-neck sweater. If you
wear a tank top to a trade show, it would be
an undergarment worn with a cardigan
sweater.
How you wear what you wear is the
second thing that people will notice at trade
shows. Just as you would at work, you
want to make sure your clothing is pressed

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and presentable. Pants should fit well and
not hang too low. The same goes for what
is worn on top. A trade show is a place to
make professional connections and you will
therefore dress for that sole purpose.
Part of the standard trade show attire is
that of badge holders. Every person who
attends or presents at a trade show can
typically be seen with a ribbon lanyard
around their neck. While badge holders are
a necessary item, there is no need to be
stuck wearing a ribbon lanyard featuring
the logo of a company marketing their
product. When you attend a trade show,
you can look and feel great wearing a

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ribbon lanyard of your own choosing. In
fact, you could go the extra mile if you so
choose and purchase a lanyard decorated
with classy beads.
Trade shows are about gaining or giving
information on new products and services;
but even more importantly, they are the
place where a professional woman can
show what she’s made of. Looking the part
is the first step in gaining credibility in
your profession.

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Badge Reels:
Function and
Fashion
Many employees today wear badge reels
as a way to display their ID card, badge or
proximity card. Badge reels are clips that
attach to the clothing; allowing an ID
badge to be easily seen and used. The ID
can be slipped inside of a plastic badge
holder that is then attached to the clip.
Sometimes the clip contains a retractable
cord. Retractable badge reels are ideal for

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