How Do I Prospect at a Trade Show?

How effective are trade shows as a selling opportunity?  They’re not if all you do is show up and think business is going to fall into your lap. You have to look at trade shows as merely a platform from which to prospect and sell.
Let’s break this down and look at what we can do purely from a prospecting standpoint.
Remember that having a booth or being a sponsor is certainly a positive, but it’s not essential.  There are numerous ways you can get business by just attending, and it starts with being visible and engaging.  What does that mean?
If you’re attending from your company with another person, don’t hang out together.  It blows my mind how multiple people from the same company will attend a trade show and then spend the entire time hanging out with each other.  If this is your strategy, skip the trade show and just head to