No matter how organized you are, or how much advance preparation you put into a show or how much attention to detail you apply, sometimes it is impossible to avoid the proverbial operations snafu. Or is it?

As a fellow show organizer, I follow virtually the same routine as you do when planning a meeting and it's a safe bet that we use a similar checklist. However, whether you have five years of experience or 25, when it comes to show operations, everyone can use some help avoiding simple and possibly costly mistakes. In this article, members of the Association for Convention Operations Management (ACOM) share a few seemingly obvious but often overlooked tips which you can use when planning your next event.

1. Do your site homework. "When you go on site tours of the facility, go during both busy and slow times to see how they operate during show times and how they handle pressure situations," suggests Eric Blanc, CMP, Account Executive, Exposition Services for Freeman. "The one thing you want to know is how the staff will react in a crunch. This will help give you a better idea of how they will handle your event. It will also ...