Wow! Can you believe it? Another Millennium gone by just like it was yesterday -- and I missed most of it!

As I contemplate the passing of one era and the beginning of another, I find myself looking at my favorite marketing medium and reflecting on how and when it all began and where it will be in the future. My favorite medium, in case you are new to this column, is trade shows.

Not long ago, I was asked how trade shows began and what made me think they were so great. The questioner was a young man in his late twenties. He was astounded when I told him that trade shows existed long before the Internet, Yahoo and e-commerce.

Not only were shows flourishing before the net, they were around long before television, radio, telegraph and the printing press. In fact trade shows had been in existence some 1500 years before John Gutenberg invented the printing press. It is ironic that merchant gatherings, sometimes referred to as the marketplace, are mentioned in the first document to come from Gutenberg's invention -- the Bible.

The book of Ezekiel contains a description of the rebuilt Temple area, which includes rooms for merchants to display their products. Not much has changed in 2000 years. Trade shows, which are essentially temporary markets, still feature rooms (booths) for merchants to display products and services.

Smart merchants 2000 years ago saw the value of face-to face interaction with buyers. They knew that the sooner they could establish a personal relationship with prospects, the sooner they could turn them into buyers.

Long before terms like multi-media and mass merchandising joined the marketing jargon, astute marketers knew the value of being able to appeal to all of the human senses to create desire in their prospects.

Today, marketers who want a winning edge for their businesses know the value of multi-dimensional marketing that only comes from a trade show presence. Radio allows us to hear a message. The Internet and television let us hear and see the message. Printing will let us see, perhaps smell, and in some cases we may even feel the message. These "limited" media may reach an audience, but only shows tap all five senses -- and deliver the most powerful message.

No other medium allows one to see, feel, hear, taste and smell a message. How does that help reach an audience? Example: The boat dealer who invites consumers into his exhibit -- and into their dream of owning a yacht -- with the smell of bacon cooking in the galley. It works! If it didn't, marine dealers would no sell 35% of their craft on dry land -- at Boat Shows.

As I look at the future, I know there are great changes in store. Where will the Internet and e-commerce take us? What will be the next development in communications technology?

Yet one thing I have no question about -- face-to-face encounters with prospects will always be effective. Shows may be known by another name -- but they will still be the best choice for marketing professionals.

Pass the bacon please!