Attending a Trade Show

Quick answer: To get the most from attending a trade show, decide in advance which exhibitors you need to see, bring plenty of business cards, keep conversations with irrelevant exhibitors short, and be ready to follow up afterward.

Plan before you go

In order to make the most of the trade shows you attend, you must have very specific plans and goals before the show begins. If you do not know what you are trying to achieve, you would be better off not attending the convention or expo at all. You can put together a plan by looking at any pre-show mailers you receive (you may need to sign up on a list to receive these mailers), and dividing up the companies into categories such as "need to visit" and "want to visit". This will help to ensure that you do not waste time when the show begins.

Bring business cards

You should also plan on bringing a number of business cards along to distribute at the show. This will save you a lot of time and energy, because companies will often have you fill out interest forms that take time.

Keep conversations focused

The biggest thing you can do to make your visit more profitable is to avoid drawn out conversations with exhibitors you are not interested in. You need to be able to quickly assess the value of the representative you are speaking with, and ensure that you do not spend too much time on an exhibitor that is not relevant to the products and services your company is looking for.

Follow up after the show

After the show, you need to be prepared to make and receive follow up calls and e-mails in order to gather further information. You need to be ready to ask pertinent questions to find out what your company can gain from the services of each exhibitor.