There are two TV ads in the U.S. that are driving me crazy. Subway and Hardees both have ads running where the voice-over talks about a great Samich.

There is no such word as Samich. It is SANDWICH. The basic description is for some food product between two pieces of bread.

Where did Samich come from? Lazy tongues, poor language development, general acceptance by people who dont care and are not corrected. It makes me cry that big bucks are spent perpetrating bad grammar and fast fat food.

OH, JULIA YOU SAY --- Youre just being an old fuddy-duddy. Nobody cares how people pronounce it we know what it is.

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH TRADE SHOWS?

Trade shows are noisy environments so I may not understand what you say because of noise pollution. I may not understand what you say because it is a new word to me, or you are using jargon not in my vocabulary.

I may not understand what you say for any number of reasons but NEVER ever let it be the fact that you mangled a word, mispronounced it and didnt know the difference.

Prospects are picky people. Your great exhibit, wonderful give-aways and that nifty shirt you are wearing only gets them into your space. Its the little things people remember bad grammar, sloppy pronunciation and incoherent syntax are high on my list of no-nos.

MANAGERS Check your staff for vocabulary and pronunciation before a show. This is particularly important when there are new products and technical terms. Dont forget to check for the vernacular and correct your staff so they are proper representatives for your company.

Julia O'Connor

In one way or another, Julia has always been in sales. From the time her mortified mother found out that, as an enterprising 5-year-old, she was peddling homemade pot holders to the neighbors, to her current expertise in trade show marketing, she has been interested in results. And in order to get the results she wants, she will guide, train and teach.

Her careers range from public and professional education design, to freelance advertising-public relations, to real estate investment portfolio management.

Since 1982, Julia has been working with clients in trade show marketing. And, when she asked clients, "why are you going to that show?", she found most did not know. Time to teach.

After years of informal instruction, Trade Show Training was incorporated to provide structured training ranging from trade show basics to the ergonomics of exhibit design. She designed Camp Sho-M-Sel-M to improve sales staff performance in the trade show environment.

She holds degrees from The University of Georgia in Advertising, an MA in Mass Communications from The University of Iowa, and an Indiana University MBA in Marketing. She is a frequent speaker on marketing, networking, entrepreneurship and trade shows.