In the
Media
Making the
Most of Your Time
by Pamela Kufahl, Senior
Editor
Appeared in Club Industry, September 1, 2003
Trade shows can be an excellent resource whether you are looking
for something in particular or whether you just want to keep abreast of
the latest in the industry. However, trade shows are getting more
expensive, especially when adding in travel costs. To ensure that you get
the most of your time when attending trade shows, follow some of these
tips.
Know why you are
attending. Before leaving
for a show, determine what you want to find out while you are there, says
Susan Friedmann of The Tradeshow Coach in Lake Placid, NY, and author of Meeting and Event Planning for Dummies. If you have a boss and you
need to justify your reasons for going, then it will help to know what you
want to get at the show, she says. In addition, make sure you clarify what
your boss wants you to get at the show.
“People are
going to shows looking for solutions to problems/challenges that they
might have at a workplace,” Friedmann says. “This is where the industry
gets together. Anything and everything you want to know about your
industry is going to be there on the show floor.”
Research
companies and equipment before going to the
show. Because time is
limited, it's best to get as much information as you can before going to a
show. Web sites are often the best resource. By doing the basic research
beforehand, you can spend your time at a booth asking more in-depth
questions.
“The more
prepared you are, the more you are going to get out of it,” Friedmann
says.
Organize your
exhibitor visit list. Sit down with
the exhibitor list and map and plan which booths you want to visit,
dividing your list into “must see” and “want to see” booths, says
Friedmann. Plan your visits so that you are stopping at booths in a
logical order rather than crisscrossing the exhibit floor. Then, decide
how much time you can spend at each booth, allowing a little extra time
for the unexpected.
Find a
teammate. If someone else from your club is going to the show,
get together with that person to coordinate your schedules, Friedmann
says. There's no sense in each of you attending the same seminar or seeing
the same manufacturer. If you coordinate each of your needs, you can help
each other by asking questions for both parties or collecting information
for each other.
Have a comparison
sheet. If you are looking for new flooring for the weight room,
you'll want to put together a form that allows you to quickly mark down
answers from each flooring manufacturer so that you can make accurate
comparisons.
Set
appointments. To ensure that you are able to speak with certain
exhibitors and certain people at the company, call ahead to set up an
appointment at the show. If you want more undivided attention from a
particular person at a particular booth, then time the appointment at a
slower time, particularly if the person is the only one at the booth.
Later in the day or during the last day of the show are historically
slower times, Friedmann says.
“The more
prepared you are and the less you leave to chance, the better you are
going to be able to maximize your time commitment,” Friedmann
says.
Take
care of yourself. Even though you may have limited time to do everything you want at
the show, make sure to take breaks. Drink plenty of water to keep yourself
hydrated and watch your junk food intake, recommends Maura
Schreier-Fleming, author of Real-World Selling for Out-of-This-World
Results. Sugary snacks may be tempting, but a Power bar for energy
would be better, she says. In addition, wear comfortable shoes (maybe even
with insoles) and comfortable clothing.
Bring your own
bag. Those plastic bags that some exhibitors hand out at shows
may be better than nothing, but often they aren't as comfortable as a more
substantial canvas bag or leather bag with a strap that can fit over your
shoulder.
Book a nearby
room. If you book early, you can often find lodging close
enough to the convention center that you can run back to your room for a
short nap, to change clothes before evening activities or just to sort
through all the information that you've gathered, Friedmann
says.
Be an early
bird. By pre-registering for a conference and arriving at least
30 minutes early, you can avoid standing in the long lines that tend to
accumulate at most shows.
Be prepared for
changes. Because booth numbers change and seminar rooms are
moved, consult the show directory when you first arrive and revise your
plan accordingly, Friedman says.
Be selective in
what you take. Just because an exhibitor offers you a brochure
doesn't mean you have to take it. When offered something, ask yourself,
“Why do I have to take this with me?” Friedman says. If it is not
something you have to have right now, then request that the exhibitor mail
it to you. That's also a test for the company to see if they are on the
ball or not, says Friedmann.
“If they can't
send me a piece of literature that I requested, then what are they going
to be like to do business with?” she says.
Network. You don't have to look much further than the receptions, hospitality
suites and seminars for an opportunity to network. And it's an opportunity
that too few people take advantage of, says Friedmann. Typically, someone
going alone to these events can feel lonely in a room of strangers and
leave early. Those who attend with co-workers tend to congregate with the
people they know, but Friedmann says there is no point to
that.
“Your boss
doesn't have to pay for you to travel across the country to talk to your
own people,” she says. She suggests getting out of the “comfort zone” and
approaching others at the events with a simple request for help, such as,
“I am looking for new treadmills for my club. What kind of treadmills do
you have in your club?”
Make sure you
bring plenty of business cards with you and pass them around and collect
them from others.
Bring supplies to
help organize the papers and business cards you will be
collecting. Barbara Hemphill, author of Taming the Paper
Tiger book series, suggests that you bring with you some file folders,
a small stapler, a large envelope for expense receipts, stationery and a
pad of Post-It Notes. You may also want to take a large envelope to mail
collected items to your office from the show.
Label your
files. Some of the papers and cards you collect will require
action on your part. Place those items in a file marked “action” and note
on the paper what action you must take before you place the paper into the
folder, says Hemphill. If you want to get more specific, you can label
your files “call,” “data entry,” “file,” “write” and
“read.”
Keep receipts
together in an envelope. Hemphill suggests going through your
receipts at the end of each day when details are still fresh and note what
the expense was for on each receipt. Keep receipts together in an
envelope.
Write a
summary. At the end of each session you attend, Hemphill
suggests that you ask yourself what you will do differently because of
attending this session. Make a list of what you have learned, changes you
want to make and ideas that you want to take action on.
Friedmann suggests writing a report about the entire trip,
something that some bosses require. If you take notes as you go along
(perhaps in a notebook or by speaking into a tape recorder), then it
should be easier to write a summary of what you need to do and what you
learned that day, says Friedmann.
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