Paid $1050 for booth at show, now what? -

I am signed up for Portland Spring Home and Garden Show in feb.I have done a smaller show and had okay success (paid for the show basically) but this is a big show and I would like some ideas to make my booth stand out. I make and sell greenhouses (stevesgreenhouses.com) and have a 10 x10 display house (completly assembled) that I use on a 10 x10 space so everything has to be inside of the greenhouse. I put up lots construction pictures and pics of my customers greenhouses. I have a few blooming Orchids for show only and have an area for business cards, flyers, and candy on a bench. (benches run full length both sides of house) I also cover the floor with black ground cloth.I m looking for suggestions for things that will make my display stand out to people walking by. My customers age groups are from 20 to 80 and most are hands on type of people that will assemble these kits themselves, so I would also like to do some sort of theme directed at them Retro? Down Home? Country? Farmers Market ?Thanks for you time reading this, any suggestion appreciated. Sometimes a fresh prospective can shed new light. Thanks again Steve

Movement, color, door prizes are attention getters. Do you plan any door prizes or drawings? Will you be selling small items from your display to help defray the cost or have only the greenhouses for sale?Just brainstorming and don t know if they d apply: Seeds--seed packets are colorful. Kitchen compost or scrap saver. Flower pots. Watering cans. Colorful gardening gloves and hats. Fountain, either tabletop or larger. Windchimes. Birds in a cage. ButterfliesDisplay (for sale or not) of some of your favorite tools. Kid-sized tools, etc. attract kids and grandparents, especially.Could you cut a deal with a nursery to furnish some plants in exchange for advertising? Or with a hardware to let you use tools?Give away a flyer (could be simple, 1-page or less and self printed) about something such as best plants for kids to grow, how to make compost, etc. Or favorite greenhouse plants for beginners.It would have your company info, too.Good luck.

This doesn t exactly answer your question about how to make your booth stand out, but why not have dozens of seedlings in small pots to give away, in exchange for visitors filling out a qualifying questionnaire? These can be used for warm-calling after the show.

How Much Does An Actual Patent Cost? Are there any places to have them filed inexpensively? Copywrite Needed? -

I looked up the Patent And Trademark Office. They said.. 1500.00 to 2000.00 to actually patent your product. Is there any cheaper? Also is a copywrite necessary? Or.. Liscense? I would like to sell my product to a angel investor or venture capitolist. I also was told that Richard Brandson invests in helping people promote their inventions and products and also the show that is not in my state Shark Tank. ( Does anyone know about these shows ?) I was told to take a picture of it and have it notarized at a bank to protect people and companies from stealing it and trying to go up against me. ( Also)....... If I do the free search through the Patent and Trademark Office.. On line.. IS that sufficient.? I would like it to be. I don t have the cash to spend on a patent clerk searching also/addition to.Category

You can take all your designs, pictures, drawings, photographs and fully written and unmistakable descriptions of inventions and put it all in a mailer envelope seal it and take it to the U S Post Office and send it back to yourself in a registered mail envelope (this will and can only be used in court forinfringementt if the seal on the registered mail envelope has never been tampered with and opened) when the postal carrier brings it and presents it to you you sign for it and that date on the post office proof of delivery serves as your date of idea origination. Take the registered mail unopened) and put it in a safer than safe place like a safe. Lock it in and forget about it. If in your need to produce your item you can get a contract written up by legalzoom.com called a letter of non compete or a non-disclosure agreement, which too should also protect your interests and be admissible in court if needed when going to subcontractors for their help in going retail. Most importantly: if you end up needing the registered mail envelope for a court appearance, the judge must be the only person to open the U S Post office registered mail encased documents first in order for them to use that proof of authenticity as admissible evidence in your case.

I suggest the first thing you do is to go to the library and find books on how to bring an invention through the patenting process and launching it to the market. ReadPatents and How to Get One : A Practical Handbook http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0��Protecting Your Ideas : The Inventor s Guide to Patents http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0��Patent It Yourself http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0��Patenting costs does not only involve the fees you need to pay USPTO. The total cost depends on how complicated your product is, and the fees the patent lawyer will charge you. It s not uncommon to hear of entrepreneurs spending upwards of $25,000 or even way more to get their products patented. It is NOT cheap -- patent lawyers are among the most expensive out there.You will need to:- research each and every aspect of your product to see if there are any patents out there covering the process or the product- write the detailed product information to describe what should be patented- provide technical detail, relevant drawings, useful background information, a listing of unexpected benefits and desirable advantages, and the relevant prior art for patent text purposesYou can do the whole patenting process yourself, but you first need to educate yourself how to properly do the entire process. Read the Patent It Yourself book.