BOARDMAN Chamber trade show proves to be a sure bet

Nearly 100 exhibitors displayed their goods and services.
By CYNTHIA VINARSKY
VINDICATOR BUSINESS WRITER
BOARDMAN -- Brian Governor played the part of a casino dealer at the annual trade show of the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce, but instead of cash, he handed out a slew of prizes, from mugs to T-shirts to pocket-sized sewing kits.
The key, Governor said, was that every one of those hundreds of giveaways was emblazoned with his company's name, P & amp;W Marketing.
The owner and president of the Austintown-based company said he makes "a substantial investment" in his trade-show prizes every year, but it's advertising that works because it reaches his target audience -- other local businesses.
P & amp;W specializes in promotional items for companies and the printing of business forms, tags and labels.
"My idea is, because of the type of business I'm in, to get my name out on as many things as I can," Governor said.
A regular exhibitor at the chamber's annual Business Showcase, he tries to come up with eye-catching and interactive displays, like the mock craps table he chose for Thursday's show. It's a way to make sure visitors stop at his exhibit instead of walking by, and that they leave with something to remind them of P & amp;W Marketing.
Exhibitors: Liz Wozniak, program manager for the chamber, said this year's event at Mr. Anthony's Banquet Center was a sellout, with 96 exhibitors from the Mahoning-Trumbull-Columbiana county area, as well as a few from Akron, Canton and Cleveland.
The trade fair, which is free and open to the public, gives participants a chance to learn about other businesses and their services and to show off their own.
Wozniak said the chamber offers some basic guidelines for exhibitors. "I'm surprised myself at what some companies come up with," she said. "They have a lot of fun with it."
Holiday spirit: Kinko's representatives from the company's Niles and Boardman offices, for example, designed a Christmas scene complete with a decorated tree and Santa Claus to draw attention to their customized Christmas cards and holiday calendars.
Staffers even used stencils and powdered carpet deodorizer to create mock Santa footprints with the imprint "Ho! Ho! Ho!" leading to their booth.
"We want people to see that we're not about just copies anymore," said Merri Harasym-Esenwein, a commercial business representative from the company's Niles store. She said the Christmas gift items are especially popular, with local Kinko's stores producing thousands of personalized photo calendars and greeting cards between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve each year.
Brewing up ideas: Plant Industrial Advertising, a Niles company specializing in advertising products and gifts, chose a Halloween theme for its showcase display. Denise May, a sales representative, and Monette Traichal dressed in black witch costumes and used dry ice to produce a steaming caldron for atmosphere.
"With all that's been happening in the country, we decided to lighten things up a bit," May said.
Instead of dropping their usual gift-giving to employees and customers this year, she said, most businesses are "buying smarter," choosing food gifts or smaller unique items instead of the more extravagant offerings of prosperous times. Patriotic items have been especially popular.
"With the economic downturn, companies have to get their name out there," she said. "If anything, we've been more busy since Sept. 11."
vinarsky@vindy.com