Successful brainstorming

I'm headed out for a 2-day whirlwind tour of a couple of trade shows in NYC. We're going to look for some new vendors, check in on what our competition is doing, and see if we can spot some interesting trends. But what I'm really looking forward to doing is brainstorming with my sister/partner-in-crime. I know that in a very short amount of time about a million ideas are going to come to us - the fun part is being open to all the possibilities.

Here are some tips for a successful brainstorming session.

• Create an atmosphere where no idea is shot down. Picking apart ideas is for later - use this time to engage in a creative free-for-all.
• Take good notes. Write down everything - you never know what can spark other ideas later.
• Don't fall in love with one idea. If you come up with something great, try to push it out of your mind and keep working. Something even better might be right around the corner.

I'm looking forward to coming back and hashing out what's good for now, what's good for later, and what's not good at all. Do you have any tips to add about brainstorming?

I'll be back on Wednesday...