oel Caesar calls it the “trade show stare.” It’s that blank expression on the face of an otherwise smart, proficient attendee that means they are about to do or say a silly thing.

“Something happens to people when they get to a trade show that they lose their focus and they don’t see what’s in front of them,” says Caesar, Atlantic City Pool & Spa Show manager and executive director of the Northeast Spa & Pool Association-National Spa & Pool Institute affiliate. “We have a collection of stories about what people do when they’re at a trade show.”

For instance, there’s the story about a man standing right in front of room 1202, who asks in a loud, plaintive voice, “Where’s room 1202?” Then there’s the one about the two men picking up schedules under a giant banner that reads “Revised Schedules” who ask whether these are the new schedules or the old ones.

Attendees aren’t the only ones who suffer from the trade show stare phenomenon. Exhibitors also must guard against the affliction, says Steve Miller, internationally recognized trade show expert and best-selling author of How to Get the Most Out of Trade Shows. Miller has his share of sobering stories. Like the time he went to a Seattle hot tub show to buy a spa. He stopped at eight different spa booths, told them how much he wanted to spend, and when he wanted to start using the spa. Despite assurances from each company that they’d be in touch with him, not a single company followed up with him after the show. He ended up buying his spa elsewhere.

“Eight companies lost about a $6,000 sale,” Miller says. “And I was a pretty easy sell.”

Unfortunately, many exhibitors and attendees fall under the trade show stare because they focus only on the planning before the show, says Fred Showker, trade show expert and director of the Design and Publishing Center.

The lesson for both exhibitors and attendees? Planning and preparation are key to a successful trade show experience — before, during and after the event.

Caesar, Miller and Showker offer the following advice to help you get the most out of your trade show experience — and avoid the trade show stare:

1. Before going to the show, know why you’re going and what you hope to accomplish.

2. Use online resources to plan and orient yourself to the show. Pool & Spa News offers a trade show planner on its Web site. Showgoers can also plan a daily schedule at the site and get handy dining and nightlife guides. NESPA offers its own online help at www.nespapool.org. Complete online registration is available for the first time on the site. Both sites also provide everything from lodging information to exhibitor locator maps.

3. Remember that you have limited time, so make the most of every interaction.

4. Always wear comfortable shoes. Although it may seem obvious to veteran showgoers, trade shows are not the place to break in new shoes. Concrete convention floors are hard on the feet. And for those not accustomed to a lot of standing, it can be a rude awakening.

5. Don’t forget that trade shows are work — hard work. And that business and pleasure don’t mix.

Miller says showgoers should take that last piece of advice very seriously. “People fall into the trap of thinking this is a party. But if you treat it like a party you’re not getting any work done,” he says. “Anyone who works a trade show really, really well needs a vacation after the show is over.”