[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/02\/03\/make-the-most-of-trade-shows\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/02\/03\/make-the-most-of-trade-shows\/","headline":"How to make the most of trade shows: 4 secrets to success","name":"How to make the most of trade shows: 4 secrets to success","description":"Heading to a convention soon? Want to learn how to make the most of trade shows? Your work starts weeks before your plane lands. It\u2019s a fact acknowledged by the most successful folks I know, yet one that both entry-level and c-suite employees ignore.\u00a0 The best part of a trade show is not in the […]","datePublished":"2020-02-03","dateModified":"2021-02-24","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/tracey-wallace\/#Person","name":"Tracey Wallace","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/tracey-wallace\/","identifier":367,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/21377d3250d3cee37a219265f855ca86717424033839661349c4b6845d2250cc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/21377d3250d3cee37a219265f855ca86717424033839661349c4b6845d2250cc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/thumbnail-d41ee35f2fc6edb3173bdac9793523a8.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/thumbnail-d41ee35f2fc6edb3173bdac9793523a8.jpeg","height":375,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/02\/03\/make-the-most-of-trade-shows\/","about":[{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/marketing\/marketing-general\/","name":"Marketing","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Marketing","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q39809"]},"Retail Trends, Data, News",{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/sales\/","name":"Sales","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sales","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q194189"]},"Sales Success"],"wordCount":1457,"keywords":["Marketing Trends","Sales Success"],"articleBody":"Heading to a convention soon? Want to learn how to make the most of trade shows? Your work starts weeks before your plane lands.It\u2019s a fact acknowledged by the most successful folks I know, yet one that both entry-level and c-suite employees ignore.\u00a0The best part of a trade show is not in the sessions. Similar to college – or any classroom situation for that matter – the best learning isn\u2019t done sitting in front of a powerpoint or a blackboard.\u00a0The best learning is done in small groups, either during a 1:1 with your professor where you learn exactly what it is they’re looking for in that 60-page research paper (and even blabber off about what they\u2019d write about if they were given this assignment), or in small groups with your classmates where the learning in two fold.\u00a0First, you can brainstorm together and use the power of collective thinking to narrow down your options. Second – and perhaps more important – you build strong relationships and report with that small group, and hopefully at least 50% of them will go on to successful careers, and maybe even help you in your own.\u00a0Trade show wisdom: Truth hurts – or helps – depending on how you prepareThis fact is an old adage: \u201cIt\u2019s who you know, not what you know.\u201d And it\u2019s repeated often in popular culture. Let\u2019s look at an example from Hillbilly Elegy, the New York Times bestselling memoir by J.D. Vance.\u00a0\u201cInterviews showed me that successful people are playing an entirely different game. They don\u2019t flood the job market with r\u00e9sum\u00e9s, hoping that some employer will grace them with an interview. They network. They email a friend of a friend to make sure their name gets the look it deserves. They have their uncles call old college buddies. They have their school\u2019s career service office set up interviews months in advance on their behalf. They have parents tell them how to dress, what to say, and whom to schmooze.\u201dLizzo\u2019s popular song, \u201cTruth Hurts,\u201d opens with this stanza:You coulda had a bad *****, non-committalHelp you with your career just a littleYou’re ‘posed to hold me down, but you’re holding me backAnd that’s the sound of me not calling you backSounds like the guy she was dating didn\u2019t understand the importance of connection, relationships, and the people-side of business. The truth of business, no matter what industry you are in from creative writing to tech sales, or what level you are from receptionist to VP, is that who you know gets you further than just about everything else.\u00a0And trade shows are where you network with the right people, build yourself a coalition of like-minded individuals setting out to change your industry for the better, and in only a couple years, become the though leader of that industry yourself.\u00a0It starts at trade shows. Moreso, it starts before the trade show. 4 ways to make the most of trade shows\u00a0Do Your Research A Couple Weeks Before the ShowStart by going to the trade show website and find the list of companies attending this year, or that attended last year. Bonus points if you already have a connection with the trade show and can ask that person to send over a list of the companies attending. Even more points if you can get the exact names of the reps from those companies, but that is often a stretch.\u00a0Now, you have to do the legwork. Look up those companies on LinkedIn, especially the ones you admire and think are doing amazing work in the space. See who, if anyone, you are connected to in the space \u2013\u2013\u00a0either 1st or 2nd connection \u2013\u2013\u00a0and message them.\u00a0Say you saw that their company will be at the show, and you love the work they are doing. Might they know who from their company will be attending? You\u2019re interested in grabbing a coffee with them, a happy hour, or maybe even a dinner. You\u2019re flexible. You\u2019re at a trade show, after all.\u00a0Then, when a percentage of those folks respond and tell you who is going, you must then do the work to get their email, reach out to them, and set up those small meetings.\u00a0Book Your Calendar With Small MeetingsThese meetings don\u2019t need agendas. In fact, it\u2019s better if they don\u2019t have them. Instead, actually meet the people you admire, or who work for companies you admire. Why did they decide to come to this show? How has it been so far? Anyone cool or interesting they\u2019ve met? It\u2019d probably be fun to gather a few folks for a final dinner in a couple nights \u2013\u2013\u00a0if everyone isn\u2019t too tired.\u00a0What is important here, though, is that you schedule these coffee meetings or happy hours the same way you would schedule a meeting. Send them an actual invite! This is important, because trade shows are busy. There are a ton of sessions happening, lots of floor time, and many people like to try to explore the city they are in, too. Get yourself on someone\u2019s calendar a week out, if possible, so that both you and they can plan accordingly.\u00a0\u201cIf you want to make the most of trade shows try to book meetings with all the vendors and prospects you want to meet before the trade show,\u201d says Daniel Wallock, Digital Marketing Operations Manager, Atlantic Coast Brands. \u201cYou should arrive to the trade show with a full calendar of meetings with lots of different prospective agencies, vendors, and partners. I\u2019ve consistently gotten the most value from trade shows and conferences by ensuring days before the conference my calendar is full of all the meetings I want to have when I\u2019m there, already booked.\u201dFill in Gaps with Sessions, and Share KnowledgeWhere you aren\u2019t able to fill in your calendar with coffee meetings or happy hours, go to sessions put on by people you admire and want to learn from. While there, take great notes and share interesting tidbits on Twitter or LinkedIn in real-time. Make sure you tag the trade show as well as the speaker.\u00a0In many cases, you\u2019ll get retweeted by the tradeshow and possibly even the speaker themselves. If that happens, you have another really great opportunity to reach out to that person, telling the you loved their presentation, especially that point in particular, and when in the same city again, you\u2019d love to meet in person. Here, you are building relationships by growing the thought leadership status of those you admire and trade shows you attend. It\u2019s win-win-win for everyone.Make Sure to Follow UpOnce the trade show is over, follow up with all the folks you met. These don\u2019t need to be formal follow-ups, either. Instead, send them a quick email (or text message if you exchanged numbers), thanking them for their time and letting them know if they are ever in your city, they should stop by. You know a really great bar or restaurant or hiking trail. Whatever it is they like.\u00a0\u00a0More so, if they mentioned someone they know they wanted to introduce you to, make sure you remind them to do that. That you are looking to expand your network, and want to talk to as many people as possible.\u00a0\u201cIt’s all about the follow-up,\u201d says Jamie Turner of 60 Second Marketer. \u201cSo many of us meet dozens of new friends at trade shows, and then they drop off our radars. The secret is to stay in touch and continuously re-connect with them.\u201dNetworking is code for making friends\u00a0One of the best business books out there is also one of the oldest. How to Make Friends and Influence People has taught generations of business folks how to build a network, grow their own status, and become a connector for folks. The secret? Make friends with these people \u2013\u2013 truly. Doing so will increase the value of your relationship, but also make your industry even more fun for you.\u00a0We all do better work when in the company of friends. And, we all get better jobs and do better in our careers when those friends look out for us, have our back, and recommend us to the next stage.\u00a0If you don\u2019t have that network, or you want to build it in a new industry, trade shows are you secret weapon.  Every digital moment matters.Are you making the most of them?1,000 business leaders dish on how to stand out from the crowd with a great CX. Get the details\u00a0HERE.\u00a0"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2020","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"02","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/\/02\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"03","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/\/02\/\/03\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"How to make the most of trade shows: 4 secrets to success","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/02\/03\/make-the-most-of-trade-shows\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]