You’ve been asked to go to a trade show. Maybe you’re already sold on the business case, or maybe you’re still on the fence about the time and expense. There are lots of reasons to go to trade shows, and I’m telling you that Atlantic City gets a bad rap. One of my best friends grew up there and he even went to Atlantic City High School and I’ve been going there for 50 years now and I can tell you it is a really cool place.
Why You Should Consider Going to Trade Shows in the First Place
Before we get to the boardwalk, let’s talk business.
In-person trade shows offer something no webinar or Zoom call can replicate: the chance to compress months of relationship-building into a few days. Face-to-face conversations build trust faster. Handshakes close deals. Running into a competitor at a booth — or a potential partner at the happy hour — can redirect your entire strategy.
Here’s what you actually get out of attending:
Real networking, not LinkedIn. Trade shows put your whole industry under one roof. The conversations that start on a show floor often become partnerships, referrals, and new business that wouldn’t have happened any other way. You don’t have to manufacture an excuse to reach out — you’re just both there. That person you speak to on the phone is not some AI created avatar, meet them in flesh and blood and your business will benefit from that stronger relationship.
A read on your competition. An hour walking the floor tells you more about the competitive landscape than weeks of research. You can see how competitors are positioning, what they’re emphasizing, and where the gaps are.
Trend intelligence. Industries evolve between every show. Trade shows are where you find out what’s coming next — new products, new technologies, new ways of solving old problems. Make sure you talk to the folks in the booths, they travel the country and go in a million shops and know what is going on.
Good deals. Show specials are there for the taking in almost every booth. If you like a piece of equipment and it fits in your vehicle, you might get the deal of a lifetime. Even if you don’t cart it off, have it sent to you instead of back to the company’s warehouse and you will also get a bargain.
Your team comes back energized. A change of scenery, peer interaction, and an inspiring keynote do more for morale than most internal initiatives. People return to the office with new ideas and renewed energy.
The short version: if your industry holds trade shows, you should be at them. The ROI — measured in deals closed, relationships built, and intelligence gathered — is hard to replicate any other way.
Atlantic City Convention Center I doubt there is another convention center that has the trains actually go into the convention center, but Atlantic City does. NJ transit trains go right into the building.
Now, About Atlantic City
Atlantic City gets a bad rap from people who haven’t been recently. Yes, it’s had its ups and downs. But as a trade show destination — and as a place to actually enjoy yourself — it’s genuinely underrated. The convention facilities are world-class, the hotel options are solid, and the food scene has become legitimately great. Plus, it has something some convention cities lack: personality.
Here’s what to do when you’re not on the show floor.
The Restaurants That Make AC Worth the Trip
Knife & Fork Inn One of the most storied dining rooms in Atlantic City, the Knife & Fork has been a landmark since the early 20th century. It’s the kind of restaurant that gives a city its character — the place that makes you realize AC has layers most visitors never see. Why show an old postcard of it? Because the outside sill is that cool stucco with knives and forks and the inside is beautiful with awesome ceilings and real charm. The food and the cocktails are great, nothing but rave reviews after being there with literally hundreds of people.Chef Vola’s This is the one everyone whispers about. A family-owned Italian institution since 1921 — one that actually appeared on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire — Chef Vola’s is located in a basement, accessed through a side door, and takes cash only. It’s exactly as wonderfully old-school as that sounds. The great service will make you forget that the dishwasher has to move out of your way to get to the bathroom. The menu is unfussy and perfect: bone-in veal Parmesan, shrimp fettucini, homestyle Italian classics done with care. Reservations are essential. BYO. This is the place to bring a client you want to impress without trying too hard.Dock’s Oyster House Open since 1897 and run by four generations of the Dougherty family, Dock’s has survived world wars, the Great Depression, and multiple Atlantic City reinventions. After a major renovation in 2016, the commitment to fresh seafood is as strong as ever. The raw bar is exceptional. If you’re a seafood person, this is your spot.
White House Sub Shop This is the place I dream of for a month before I get to Atlantic City. Opened in 1946 on Arctic Avenue, White House Subs is the home of deservedly legendary subs. The Italian is piled high with Genoa salami, provolone, ham, and capicola on fresh-baked bread that gets delivered up to ten times a day from the local bakery across the street. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Joe DiMaggio, and even the Beatles (who ordered a 72-inch hoagie after a 1964 concert) have all been regulars. The walls are covered in celebrity photos. Go to the original Arctic Ave. location. Expect a line. It’s worth it. Eat in or carry out, but don’t miss White House.Tony’s Baltimore Grill Pretty cool place to get a pizza and a beer, maybe not the best pizza, but good pizza and great atmosphere. There are a lot of cool old bars, breakfast spots and restaurants in AC, seek them out.
Food from Many Lands! I’ve had great pho, peruvian food, malaysian, and on and on in AC. Sabor Latino makes a great Cuban. Look around and you can find great food from around the world right in AC, and often at a great price.
Beyond the Casinos: What You Can See
Lucy the Elephant — Located down beach (as they say down there) in Margate (5 miles south of AC) If you’re in the Atlantic City area and you don’t go see Lucy, you’ve made a mistake. Built in 1881 — that’s older than the Statue of Liberty — Lucy is a six-story, 90-ton elephant-shaped building made of wood and tin, sitting right by the beach in Margate, New Jersey. She’s a National Historic Landmark, America’s oldest roadside attraction, and genuinely one of the most delightful things you can do in 45 minutes. Her creator, James Lafferty, built her as a real estate gimmick to attract buyers to the South Jersey shore. Over the decades she’s served as a real estate office, hotel, restaurant, tavern, and speakeasy. Guided tours take you up a spiral staircase inside her leg, through a small museum of her history, and up onto the howdah on her back for sweeping views of the ocean and Atlantic City’s skyline. She almost fell apart but in the 60’s kids collected pennies and saved her. She recently had an extensive beautiful restoration and stands at the beach, a real attraction.The Atlantic City Boardwalk — the world’s first, built in 1870 — stretches more than four miles along the ocean. Walk it. Eat something fried. Watch the Atlantic. It’s one of those American experiences that’s simultaneously honky tonk, tacky and transcendent, and you should experience it at least once. You can ride bikes any hour during this part of the year, its a nice ride down to the end of the island, four flat miles. Also the beach is really nice, try walking down by the water and looking and listening to the waves you will forget you are in a city.Absecon Lighthouse Built in 1857, the Absecon Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in New Jersey and the third-tallest in the United States at 171 feet. For a small fee, you can climb all 228 steps to the top, where you’ll be rewarded with a sweeping 360-degree view of the Jersey Shore and Atlantic City skyline — plus a face-to-face encounter with the original First-Order Fresnel lens, still lit every evening. Rest stops at six landings make the climb manageable. One practical note: the lighthouse is open daily but closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays from September through June. Boardwalk Hall Built 1929, it was the site of the Miss America pageant for 64 years! The Beatles held one of their largest concerts in 1964 there. It contains the world’s largest musical instrument, a pipe organ with 33,000 pipes. It is located on the Boardwalk down by the beach.
The Bottom Line
Hey, a good convention, great food, and a six-story elephant you can walk through and come out of alive.
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