Taping videos to put out on YouTube (and then maybe embed in your own site)
is a great idea, and I think SlideShare has tremendous potential.

The few practitioners of social media in manufacturing technology are just
using it as another outlet for press releases (with a few exceptions like
Lincoln Electric, who has adopted at least Twitter with more creativity and
gusto). I'm interested in watching your efforts to uncover what industrial
/ manufacturing users do exist on Twitter, as I'd love my company to be a
leader in pushing out social media approaches once we are convinced the
audience is ready.

You create a social media news release about your attendance and include links to video and photography relating to your products and services. Your social media news release could be distributed online and uploaded to your online press room. The content and keywords would help build organic SEO ranking and increase awareness of your participation in the show and your products and services.

As your Twitter network grows you will be able to offer discounts and show specials via Twitter and you could create a show hashtag if one does not already exist. Tweeting some of your observations about the show and its benefits.

Just some random thoughts off the top of my head…also, if you have an iPhone, there's a new app that scans business card info directly into your phone–a colleague uses it and is raving about it for ease of use and practicality.

Taping videos to put out on YouTube (and then maybe embed in your own site)
is a great idea, and I think SlideShare has tremendous potential.

The few practitioners of social media in manufacturing technology are just
using it as another outlet for press releases (with a few exceptions like
Lincoln Electric, who has adopted at least Twitter with more creativity and
gusto). I'm interested in watching your efforts to uncover what industrial
/ manufacturing users do exist on Twitter, as I'd love my company to be a
leader in pushing out social media approaches once we are convinced the
audience is ready.

You create a social media news release about your attendance and include links to video and photography relating to your products and services. Your social media news release could be distributed online and uploaded to your online press room. The content and keywords would help build organic SEO ranking and increase awareness of your participation in the show and your products and services.

As your Twitter network grows you will be able to offer discounts and show specials via Twitter and you could create a show hashtag if one does not already exist. Tweeting some of your observations about the show and its benefits.

Just some random thoughts off the top of my head…also, if you have an iPhone, there's a new app that scans business card info directly into your phone–a colleague uses it and is raving about it for ease of use and practicality.

Taping videos to put out on YouTube (and then maybe embed in your own site)
is a great idea, and I think SlideShare has tremendous potential.

The few practitioners of social media in manufacturing technology are just
using it as another outlet for press releases (with a few exceptions like
Lincoln Electric, who has adopted at least Twitter with more creativity and
gusto). I'm interested in watching your efforts to uncover what industrial
/ manufacturing users do exist on Twitter, as I'd love my company to be a
leader in pushing out social media approaches once we are convinced the
audience is ready.

You create a social media news release about your attendance and include links to video and photography relating to your products and services. Your social media news release could be distributed online and uploaded to your online press room. The content and keywords would help build organic SEO ranking and increase awareness of your participation in the show and your products and services.

As your Twitter network grows you will be able to offer discounts and show specials via Twitter and you could create a show hashtag if one does not already exist. Tweeting some of your observations about the show and its benefits.

Just some random thoughts off the top of my head…also, if you have an iPhone, there's a new app that scans business card info directly into your phone–a colleague uses it and is raving about it for ease of use and practicality.

Good post with some good tips for any B2B company. A couple of other “process tips” I've found useful to ensure you get the most value out of the large sum your co will pay to attend the show:
(1) Have a pick list of key customers or partners you want to meet with and get lunches, dinners or meetings scheduled with them IN ADVANCE. It's usually the early bird who gets the worm here.
(2) Have defined reconnaissance mission assignments for your team members to gather key critical market info on competitors, suppliers or customers at the show. Don't forget to utilize your less-recognized non-commercial team members who may be in attendance, they can often get deeper into a competitor's booth than your VP of Sales or Marketing could ever dream of.
(3) Gather your team for a nightly recap of competitive info gathered during the day in a round robin format, collect it into an electronic document, circulate and flesh out missing info the next day.
(4) As an exhibitor, you can usually get in early, use this time wisely to collect competitive intelligence.
(5) Many shows still prohibit it, but in most shows in Asia, and ALL in China, cameras are allowed. Assign a designated photographer to take a high res SLR (adjustable aperture so no flash) to snap shots of data sheets, product launch boards etc.

Have fun and get some business!!