Although few journalists write about it, the exhibition hall is a big draw at meetings like AAAS’s. The exhibition offers a break from cerebral symposia and brings vendors and their clients together. It also provides a good opportunity for conferees to check out government programs, new literature, equipment, and certainly the best place to grab a spare pen (or 10). So we decided to take a spin around the exhibition hall and take stock of the tchotchkes exhibitors are using to lure people to their booths.
Although the AAAS exhibition is modest compared to the hangar-sized halls of Pittcon or ACS national meetings, we still left with a respectable haul. Pens were popular, and we snagged more than a dozen without effort. We also slipped away with some sweets to elevate our flagging blood sugar. We liked the maple candies that the Canada Research Chairs provided. Germane and delicious, eh?
[OUR HAUL Looks like we’ll need to make room in our suitcases]
Our favorite freebies: The National Science Foundation’s
poster designed to attract girls to science and engineering. Titled “New
Formulas for
On the basis of a couple of informal interviews and many squeals of delight in the aisles, we determined that the most popular tchotchke of the day was without a doubt Toxie—a small stuffed cat given away at the National Library of Medicine’s booth. Toxie’s job was to promote NLM’s Environmental Health & Toxicology database. Attendees at the exhibit hall had Toxie mania, and snapped up all of the cute kitties before we could get one.
[TOXIE So popular, and loving the camera.]
We were completely charmed by these Giant Microbes at the National Academies’ booth. They aren’t free, but they are photogenic. Clockwise from bottom left: Mad Cow, The Flu, Bookworm, Sore Throat, Martian Life, and The Common Cold.
—Bethany Halford & Rachel Petkewich, filed at 11:50 AM CST
All photos by Rachel Petkewich