usiness travelers love to tell horror stories about every stage of their trips, from surly security guards in airports to cramped seats in airplanes to high phone fees at hotels. But one ordeal that gets less attention - attending conventions and trade shows - seems to inspire just as much dread.

"I don't know what it is - the lack of oxygen in the halls, the lighting,'' said Tony Guerrero, who has attended dozens of trade shows for the snowboarding and skateboarding industry both in the United States and abroad. "It just sucks the life force out of you, and you don't even know why."

But Mr. Guerrero and other habitués of the convention scene have no dearth of suspects. Aside from stale air and fluorescent glare, they cite ghastly food, the long lines they must wait in to be served it, throbbing feet from walking the show floor, exhausting marathons of schmoozing and wheeling-and-dealing, the tedium of listening to long-winded lectures in windowless rooms that are either too warm or too cold and bathrooms that always seem to be a long walk away.

Executives who cannot avoid the gatherings often develop coping strategies.

"I started keeping a journal because it keeps me busy when the booth is slow and it helps me channel my anxiety," said Kelly Sopp, who will exhibit at half a dozen children's apparel and gift shows this year to promote her Wry Baby clothing line. Typical of her journal notes: "Everybody hates my product." But Ms. Sopp said her self-confidence picks up during a show.

For exhibitors, commentary overheard from the aisles can require thick skin - and a check on the urge to respond. "One woman walked by and she just rolled her eyes and said, 'Now who would put that on her child?' " Ms. Sopp recalled. "I wanted to yell back, '20,000 people so far,' but you just can't do that.''

Ceri Jones, who works in marketing for a software company, said she did not mind going to trade shows a few times a year "because you can put on your trade show persona," which in her case includes a gift for gab. She also finds humor in the theatrics at the events, like the "booth babes" hired to entice people to learn more about, say, a not-so-sexy software application.

"Sometimes they're floating around to draw you into sessions or go to vendors' booths, sometimes they're in the booths themselves for walk-by traffic,'' Ms. Jones said. "Almost always, they know nothing about the product.''

For all the fun she has, her enthusiasm has its limits, typically fading at around 7 p.m.

"You might enjoy chatting with someone during the session," she said, "but it doesn't mean you want to have dinner with them at night."

Other executives seem to share her aversion to dragging out the day.

Douglas L. Ducate, president and chief executive of the Center for Exhibition Industry Research, said event organizers have been moving away from big luncheons and ceremonial dinners as more people, focused on efficiency, choose to spend one or two days at a conference instead of four or five, and come to the show armed with a plan of whom they are going to see and when.

According to Mr. Ducate's organization, more than 11,000 exhibitions take place in the United States each year, with Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas and Orlando, Fla., the top locations. But in the post-9/11 slump in travel and business spending, he said, organizers have had to work harder to entice companies to attend.

"The industry is now moving into a more mature stage where there are greater expectations for results," he said.

That said, almost every industry has some type of trade show, and many people feel obligated to attend. Michael Weintraub, a rare book dealer from Manhattan, said he goes to antiquarian book fairs "so people don't think I've expired or gone bankrupt."

But Mr. Weintraub avoids hotels where the event organizer has booked a block of rooms. Otherwise, he said, "You can't relax and have a drink at the bar because you're liable to run into another 100 people you know."

For conventiongoers who do get stuck in uninspiring conversations, whether in a hotel lobby, at a trade show booth or in the buffet line, Susan Friedmann, who bills herself as "the trade show coach" and who consults for exhibitors and organizers, has a trick for making a quick escape. "Look at your watch and say, 'Oh my goodness, I didn't realize how long I'd been keeping you,' " she said. "A way to break somebody in mid-conversation is saying their name. When you say someone's name, they stop talking."

Ms. Friedmann urges business travelers to show restraint in loading up on all the brochures and free gadgets that are showered on them at trade shows if all they are going to do is toss them out later. But she realizes some items are irresistible, like the "crack meter'' a concrete company once handed out that was used to measure cracks in concrete. For some reason, the device, a credit-card-size piece of flexible plastic with markings on either side to indicate different thicknesses, was an instant hit.

"People would line up at the booth to get it or call the company and say, 'Somebody stole my crack meter - can you send me another one?' " she recalled.

Among her other tips for surviving the trade-show floor: drink a lot of liquids, wear comfortable shoes, pack healthy snacks and wash your hands frequently. "There are a lot of bugs running around in there and you're in contact with people all the time," Ms. Friedmann said. "It's tiring, walking shows or working shows. You've really got to look after yourself."

Readers are invited to send stories about business travel experiences to businesstravel@nytimes.com.