I always find event industry tradeshows very interesting beasts. You have the regulars – those people and companies that come back each year with new hope in their eyes but a glazed look by lunchtime on day 1. Then there’s the newbies – full of hope, excitement and expectations that they will sign a million dollars worth of business in the first hour. Ahhh, newbies, you have to love their enthusiasm. You watch the cycle of exhibition day unfold, by lunchtime people are checking their phones for messages as potentials stroll past, some are on the internet checking their email. By 4pm everyone’s wishing they had wine on their stand to soothe their aching feet and heads. Attendees are just as interesting. Again we have regulars and newbies. Regulars turn up in flat shoes, bags on wheels if they want to pick stuff up, comfortable clothing and business cards ready to go. Newbies, bless them, are in heels, suits, have 2-3 bags slung over their shoulders by lunchtime and complain about their feet by 2pm. I sent one of my new girls to RSVP with the following instructions: Wear comfortable, flat shoes.Comfortable clothes but not jeans – you are after all making a first impression.Business card holder must be full.Don’t pick up anything, and I mean anything. If you want a brochure, give them your card and tell them to mail it to you, or better still email you the information.Take your time to get around the exhibition, spend time with each exhibitor to find out about their product/service, it is not a sprint but a comfortable journey.Buy coffee before you get there, get lunch across the road at Crown. No offence venues but you can get decent coffee at a more reasonable price elsewhere...Collect business cards. Whether you keep them forever or put them in an electronic database, it is a quick and easy way to build your network. The industry is very much about who you know and what you know and exhibitions will give you both. You’re probably wondering if she followed my instructions... partly. I found her at 2pm slumped in a chair with 2 bags full of stuff and lots of business cards collected. Nice try for a first time, had good shoes, comfortable clothes but made the rookie mistake of accepting everything handed to her. That’s ok, it’s a nice warm up for AIME. Now moving on to our expectations, as regulars. I don’t have high expectations from industry exhibitions. I use them more to catch up with people I already know and find out how the industry is doing. It is a great way to bring us all together and compare notes. So if in the process I find something new that I like then that’s a bonus. For me at RSVP it was the slot car racetrack. Loved it. Could easily see a bunch of boys after dinner competing for the racing trophy. Portable, easy to set up and just plain fun. For me, this was the new thing I always hope to find when I attend an exhibition. Next year it won’t be new, but it did stick in my mind. And let’s face it, that’s all you need to do to achieve “presence”.When chatting with people as I move around I hear comments like "I wanted x but only found y". Well I have news for you, tradeshows are not there to solve all of your problems, they are there to showcase what's on offer. And let's face it, not everyone can afford to exhibit. So if you want something different and quirky it's probably not at an exhibition but sitting in a warehouse somewhere. Most of the best ideas and "things" I've found over the years are from word of mouth. So get talking.
Sitemap
Contact Us
Login
