Are You Ready For Trade Show Season?

Tis' the season for conferences and trade shows. 

Networking at these shows can be lame and sometimes scary. 

Even for the most gregarious of personalities, connecting with people can be daunting. Below are my favorite BEFORE tactics to make conference & trade show season a little easier.

Pre-Conference Networking Prep:. Start the conversation before you ever set foot on the tradeshow floor. When you take a couple pre conference prep steps you’ve got an instant ice breaker & you’re creating an onramp for easier opening conversations.. 

For example: 

• post pictures of your potential outfits you'll wear

• do a poll on which lucky pen to bring

• scroll through your agenda & show which sessions you're excited about seeing. 

My favorites: Airplane Follies and Linkedin.

–-Something weird always happens to me on an airplane. Someone falls asleep on me, I witness a fight about overhead bin space, there’s a gross spill. Share that in your stories or emails. It will bring humor to your first encounter with your new conference friends. 

–Two weeks before the event, do a roll call on Linkedin. Your post can look something like this: “Roll Call: Who else is attending Destination West at Limelight in a couple weeks? I’ll be there and can’t wait to see everyone. Drop a yeah or neigh in the comments. “ Be sure to tag the event organizer (Northstar), & host venue (Limelight). 

Have a Greeting Plan: Have you ever gone in for a hug and accidentally got punched in the gut? This has happened to me. I’m a hugger, not everyone else is-I have learned. Instead of surprising people with your greeting, make your greeting declaration on the onset. 

If you're a hand shaker: say "I'm a hand shaker" 

If you're into jazz hands, hold up those spirit fingers high and yell "jazz hands" 

If you're a fist bumper, raise your hand, show your knuckles and let the person on the other hand know. 

Declaring the way you prefer to greet eliminates an awkward first meeting and makes your initial interaction more comfortable.

Learn A Bit About Your Surroundings: Knowing a bit about the agenda, the hotel you’re going to, the speaker or the sports team in the city you’re traveling to give you instant conversation starters. 

A great example: My friend Taylor recently went to a conference in Louisville. Before the conference she learned that Louisville was a prominent producer of Disco Balls. She dropped that fun fact in every circle by saying “Did you know Louisville has made almost 90% of the world’s disco balls?” It started conversations among other meeting attendees. She eventually became known at the conference as the disco ball girl. When anyone saw a disco ball, they thought of Taylor. Knowing just one tidbit about where you’re going can be the thing that connects you to someone new and begins a lasting business relationship. 

My personal favorites: Always know where the bathrooms are and what time the keynote starts. No one ever seems to read or know these answers. If you’re the one person that knows this when someone asks, you’re an instant resource. Being a resource adds value. Value creates lasting relationships. 

          It’s important to have a mix of in real life networking strategies and behind the screen visibility strategies. Networking is so much more than stale French fries and cheap wine. Networking is an opportunity to start a relationship that will build for many years to come. You never know when the person you meet at these conferences will be your next meeting attendee, your next boss, your next spouse or your next daughter in-law. Having a strategy going into these events will make the trip worth it. If you’re going to leave your house, put your fancy clothes on, get on an airplane and leave the comfort of your life for a couple days, you might as well make the most of it. Taking these actions will help you maximize your time at your next conference.

These are just the pre steps before an event. 

There's a whole batch of during the event and after the event tactics we can chat about next. What are your favorite pre show, during show and after event tactics?

Mandi Graziano is the Founder of Facetime Coaching Company, Host of Adventures in Business podcast, Best Selling Author and Vice President of Global Accounts for HPN Global. To keep up with Mandi's shenanigans, click here so you're in the know of all her adventures.