As luck would have it, the sea wasn't all that calm that day, and as we approached the area, the small boat we were in tossed us around quite a bit. A number of my fellow travelers and would-be snorkelers started to get quite seasick in the little boat. As for me, I calmly finished eating the glazed donut I brought on board from breakfast that morning – which didn't exactly endear me to my green-faced landlubbers.

We reached our spot, and into the ocean I went, swimming around on the surface, which was still quite a rough experience. Then I took a deep breath and dropped below the choppy surface and into a serene and magical world of wonder – fish, coral, and all kinds of interesting things were calmly there beneath the turbulent surface. It was amazing how different it was just a few feet below the rough surface.

So what does snorkeling have to do with trade shows, you ask? Actually, a lot.

I recently attended two very different trade shows, and I experienced surprisingly similar feelings – just like I did when snorkeling. The first show was InfoComm, which is all about visual communication tools on a really large scale (think video walls at sports stadiums and airports, as well as classrooms/business collaboration tools). The second was Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), where emerging trends in food and food science are explored.

At InfoComm, I walked up and down aisles filled with incredible new visual information tools, interactive touchscreen video walls, huge yet lightweight LED systems, video images generated on clear screens, and so much more. Amazing eye candy at its best!! Aisle after aisle after aisle of the same amazing-ness – on and on. Many hundreds of exhibits. Each outdoing the other. After a few hours, visual numbness set in, and on I walked like so many of my fellow trade show zombies, barely noticing the awesomeness that was surrounding me.

At IFT, however, there was no such visual eye candy, but treats that assaulted other senses. Hey, it's a food show. No long lines at the convention center concession stands, but aisle after aisle after aisle of tempting and tasty samples. Food, food, and more food. On and on. Exhibit after exhibit. Finally, after eating several dozen samples, one of my colleagues suggested we take a break for lunch. Really?!? At this show a different kind of numbness set in, but again an attack of "zombie-itis" struck.

There were, however, two exhibits (one at each show) that really stood out and caught my attention.

At InfoComm, one business collaboration company invited guests to sit down and collaborate with them. Instead of the "in your face" brightness that dominated other exhibits, they chose to invite guests to sit and relax and discuss side by side on specially designed sofas – a perfect setting in which to collaborate.

The reason these exhibits stood out is that they each found a way to avoid the choppy competitive congestion at the surface and dive beneath the unsettling storminess to create strong and memorable impressions on a different level. The competitive turbulence was completely bypassed.

Just like my snorkeling experience, where the wonders of the sea only became evident when I dove beneath the surface, the wonders of these two brands were witnessed after they invited visitors to take a peek beneath the sensory-assaulting sameness of competing exhibits.

So, why do many companies stay on the surface and try to shout above the competitive din? And how can you avoid this trap? Here are some of my thoughts:

• Your "surface" stories ("let's sample our cool food" or "wow our video wall is bright") sound, look, and taste great when they're all by themselves. But how well do these things hold up when surrounded by hundreds of others screaming the same exact things?
• The "approvers" in your company may forget the choppy seas in which you'll exhibit, unless you make them aware that others will be shouting, too.
• Realize that your closest competitors likely are designing their exhibits using the same processes you do, and around the same industry strategies.
• Think about what sets you apart from your competition, rather than the biggest hot buttons of your entire industry.
• Don't design in a vacuum. Get you and your exhibit team out of the office and onto the trade show floor – any trade show floor – and notice how much the "big stories" being told by most exhibitors simply fade into the background.
• Think in 3D when you design. One of the most common mistakes exhibitors make is to obscure the important words and phrases on their exhibit by their own furniture. Just because a layout looks good on a 2D computer screen doesn't mean it will look as good in real life.
• Strive to be both "unique" and "appropriate," so your exhibit will stand out while still fitting in.