Do ads on trade show Web sites really work? Stuart Stafman, CEO of PackExpo.com, a trade show site for the packaging industry that's expanded to become a year-round B-to-B exchange, says almost 50% of the 55,000 tickets sold for the PackExpo show last year were sold online.

If other trade show sites share even remotely similar stats, that means thousands of your company's best sales prospects are buying their tickets online. Stafman recommends business marketers take advantage of this guaranteed traffic by putting up banner ads, and purchasing enhanced company listings on sites with exhibitor directories. For example, businesses purchasing enhanced listings on the PackExpo site are generating sales leads for less than $19 each, as compared to an average of$230 for a lead generated at the show itself.

Stafman also recommends you work with trade show sites in your industry to find ways they can help you generate leads before the show, so you can use the show itself to, "do the touch and feel stuff that closes the sale." Many major shows are run by associations; and we'll bet if you can plant an executive on the volunteer show committee you'll be able to influence the future of that show's Web site in your favor too.