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If you have a specific industry in mind, attend a trade show or conference about that industry. For you Christmas booth example, you could attend one of the many “gift shop” trade shows.

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This sounds like a good idea. What I see as a difficulty is that it might be harder to strike up a conversation or make lasting connections when you are not the normal visitor. "Hi I am here because I am curious" is probably quite unexpected. Would you pose as a potential customer buying goods, or be direct in your curiosity?

Be upfront about your curiosity, otherwise it falls apart pretty quickly if you have a deeper conversation :) What you want to focus on is learning about the space and the players, not pitching them a solution.

I tell people that I am interested in the space, and am in listening mode —> and what do they do? Tell me more....etc etc

When I’ve worked trade shows for my company, I’ve often met visitors who are just exploring the market. Being up front is good. Keeping out of the way is a “real” customer shows up at the booth is appreciated.

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