Ah Spring – it is that lovely time of year when my mailbox gets flooded with invitations from vendors who will be at the SLA Conference in Baltimore.

I will be going and it will be fun to see folks. I didn’t get to go to Toronto – but that is a different annoyance! I’d have stayed a few extra days and visited with some friends up there.

The exhibitors area is an interesting vortex of Library humanity. There are the vendors who looking to make sales. Some are bored (and boring). Some are happy to show off new features and products.

The Librarians are also an interesting cross-section of humanity. Some are looking for a particular company or rep with a handful of questions because they already have the product. Others are looking for new services and solutions.

And there are the scavengers who going from booth to booth. I have to fight the impulse myself. Pens are fair game and I don’t see any need to every buy a pen ever again. Some pens are cooler than others – some are so cool that they’re impractical.

First off one needs to find a vendor who is giving away bags – either paper or the ubiquitous tote bag. This is in addition to the tote bag that we are given at registration and holds the 15 lb. Conference book and propaganda. You need the bag to put all free stuff. Chocolate and other candies should go into the Conference tote bag so you’ll have that more at the ready.

At least one vendor will have the coolest giveway ever! That’s the one where you may have to invest the most time talking with the rep in order to get the giveaway. Two years ago my prize was shark – not quite a stress ball, but soft and plyable.

Many vendors will have drawings for DVD players or gift baskets. Nowadays they can scan the Conference ID and get your info, or maybe you’ll drop in a business card. The downside of winning a big item is getting it home. In 2004 the SLA Conference was in Nashville and there was a FedEx in the hotel. That was great! I just loaded up all my coference booty and sent it to my work address. I recall that in 2004 the package weighed about 17 lbs so I was glad I didn’t have to add that to my suitcase!

A good rule of thumb is that there is no free lunch – if you want the giveaway – you’ll need to give some face time and attention to the vendor.