Sponsoring a trade show is a great way to discover new prospective clients. When your company is engaged in the right events, you are positioning yourself for increased industry visibility, new connections and opportunities for business.

But trade shows are not a magic wand for instant sales success. To realize the value of your sponsorship investment, you must be fully engaged with the community of attendees before, during and after the event. Too often, companies sign up to be a sponsor and then show up expecting to be showered in adoration by future clients. Or worse, they come in with an aggressive sales attitude, and they repel those who could become meaningful leads.

New Hope Natural Media’s Natural Products Expo East saw significant growth with a move back to its long-time home this year at the Baltimore Convention Center.

The 2011 show, held Sept. 21-24, drew more than 20,000 attendees to a 150,000 net square foot showfloor with 1,500 exhibits, compared with a similar number of attendees, but a smaller 137,000 net sq. ft. showfloor with 1,300 exhibits at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center last year.