Excerpted from “How to Get the Most Out of Attending a Trade Show,” www.Marketwire.com.
BEFORE THE SHOW: – Identify your reasons for attending — networking, education and research. Plan for face-to-face networking. – A convention focused on your industry is an ideal venue to get reacquainted with people you rarely see as well as to make new contacts. – Put together a short list of people you want to meet. Set up meetings ahead of time. Don’t leave important meetings to chance.
Schedule events and educational workshops. – Go through the agenda and identify the sessions that appeal to you.
Prioritize and manage your time. – Prioritize your attendance at the sessions that offer what you want to learn more about. – Identify the most important booths fi rst, schedul- ing time with exhibitors and contacts with whom you really want to meet. – Don’t over-schedule your time.
DURING THE SHOW: – Scope out the lay of the land. Familiarize yourself. – Review the event program and note changes, revising your plans accordingly. Look at the convention fl oor diagram and map your route effi ciently. Document. – You will probably take notes at workshops, but also make sure to take notes during or immediately following meetings, capturing your general observations and citing examples.
AFTER THE SHOW:
Organize your thoughts — and your notes. – If you came across any approaches or ideas that you thought were particularly effective, try to fi gure out how you can implement them in your own career or place of work. Review your card collection. – Jot down a few key thoughts about new ac- quaintances to help you remember who that person was, why he or she is of interest to you and how you would like to connect with him or her in the future.