Last Friday was an interesting day at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, where the 2^nd annual Alternative Medicine Symposium was held.

I expected big things, since everyone who had a booth there last year said it was very well attended. Well, I was disappointed. Could have been the weather (rainy), the economy (iffy), or a hundred other things, but we had 1/3 the crowd of the previous year—not even 100 people.

But it was an interesting bunch of vendors, from pranic healers to neuropathic chiropracters, to thermographic imaging specialists—lots of energy floated around the room. And I got to talk to a variety of people who specialize in very interesting niches in Alternative Health.

One thing that surprised me a little...with the exception of most of the chiropracters, the majority of the vendors did very little in the way of marketing, depending largely on word of mouth—which, I think, was the largest reason that the symposium drew such a dismal crowd—very little advertising.

Another thing surprised me. In talking to the various chiro guys there, I found that none of them marketed to their house list much, and some of them have very extensive lists! What a lost opportunity, and one I hope to convince a few of them to rectify J. Perhaps it wasn’t a complete bust after all.

Plus, I had the advantage of being located next to a very fragrant and pretty herb farm display, owned by a good friend of mine (Ann Stubbs of Sinking Springs Herb Farm). My copywriting booth was a bit upstaged actually--lots of visitors to the blossoms and blooms—and more than one visitor thought I sold the plants, and didn’t have a clue what a copywriter was anyway. Oh well—better to observe marketing trends of fellow vendors while swathed in the heady spice of basil and mint!

The booth with the highest activity was that of the Amish gentleman selling a fine array of fresh cheeses, raw goat’s milk, fresh honey, maple syrup, homemade spelt bread, sticky buns, fermented ketchup…he made a killing. Must have been all that homespun, back-to-nature appeal.

Unlike the rest of us (with the exception of my herbal friend), he had what David Ogilvy once said was a sure thing to success in marketing, “buckets of charm.”

Hope everyone was taking notes!