Creating lasting relationships is the most valuable aspect of the marketing process. At Universal Lending Corporation, marketing director Monica Paici and I produced many trade show events. One of our perfect storms happened at the Colorado Association of Realtors Convention which takes place every year at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. We formulated a promotion called, "I Sold the Eiffel Tower", where I photographed realtors against a giant green screen. Their images were then superimposed on a background of their choice; the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal, or the Palace of Versailles. Their takeaway was this 8 x 10 print with their contact information, our company logo, and the contact information for the salesperson who helped them through the process at the booth. The magic happened when we realized that the first few realtors to get their prints became our best advertisers. As soon as they left the booth, they walked around the event and showed everyone their photo. After the first thirty minutes, we had a line that snaked around the exhibit hall and our salespeople had a captured audience for the entire three-day event. This gave them time to start a relationship where getting to know each other was the focus instead of selling something. They chatted about travel and their plans for the future. When we started getting backlogged, the salespeople worked out a time that they could deliver the prints after the event. It was a natural way for them to follow up. Salespeople even framed the photos so realtors could hang them on their office walls. Many of the realtors we met at that event became our best clients.