I have a weird love of trade shows and conventions. Have been to many of them, for personal and professional events. There's something exciting about putting a bunch of people with a common love (hopefully it's a love, at worst it's just a profession) into a confined space to obsess about that love for a few days.
In honor of ASTD's International Conference & Exposition next week, I thought I'd share some of my favorite tricks for surviving and thriving at a trade show.
- When you arrive, if time at all permits, take a walk around the convention center/your hotel. Convention food has notoriously long lines and iffy quality. Many times there's a local spot just around the corner that will get you better food in almost the same time that it would take you to wait, and you can get a little sunshine, to boot.
- Get a plan: Before you get on the plane for the conference, take a few minutes to define the things you want to accomplish at the conference. Limit yourself to 3-5 objectives, and get specific - topics you want to learn about, people you want to network with, etc. Then you can pick out the show events, seminars, and exposition booths that will help you meet those goals. Most conferences even have their complete program on the web before the show, so you don't have to wait until the first day of the conference and your show program in hand to start. Conventions always have way more interesting things to do than you'll have time to do them. The trick is to pare down. Which brings me to a related point...
- Scheduling: There's an art to scheduling enough without over-scheduling yourself. You WILL need time for breaks, wandering the show floor, and talking with new and old contacts. Personally, I pick my must-attend events that are really high priority, and consider that my schedule. I note other interesting things that are going on, so that if I have time I can drop in, but they're already set in my head as easily dropped if the Convention Spirit moves.
- If at all possible, check in/register for the conference the day before it actually begins. There's almost always a long line to pick up your conference badge & other materials, and that's a lot less stressful to do when events haven't already begun all around you. If your flight doesn't arrive until the day of the conference, you're out of luck on this one.
- When you get the show program: First thing to do is tear out the page(s) with the map of the convention and tuck them somewhere that you can easily reach when you're trying to figure out where an event is.
- What to wear: Most conferences, including ASTD, see every type of dress across the spectrum, but business casual is the general rule. Comfort is the most important rule, especially, especially, especially comfortable shoes. You'll be doing a ridiculous amount of walking and standing: just getting from your hotel to the conference can sometimes be a haul, let alone all the miles you'll log walking back and forth in the conference center and expo hall. Make sure you're comfortable for it. Wear shoes that are already well-broken-in, and I recommend some nice shoe inserts like Dr. Scholl's for some extra support.
- Business Cards: Bring 'em! A ton of 'em. You'll be giving bunches away and receiving piles of them, too. When you receive cards, immediately write on them a note about the person you talked to and any follow-up you want to do with them. When you get home, all those business cards and booth paraphernalia will be in a jumbled mess and will all look the same unless you have something noted on them to remind you of the conversation you had. On a related note...
- Attending sessions: Sessions will also be a little muddled together in your head after the convention frenzy has passed. Be sure to take good notes. Personally, I find that the less I write, the better, since it's so hard to catch up after a conference. Put big stars next to any actions you want to take when you get back, and circle good information that you want to be sure you'll notice a week after the conference is over.
- Asking questions: Another part of attending seminars is the inevitable question-and-answer period at the end. My mind is blank of questions after spending 45 minutes (or more) absorbing what someone is saying. For those A+ priority sessions you've decided in advance to attend, take another look at your goals for the conference and write down in advance a question or topic that you want to be sure is covered. That way you're prepared and a star attendee when the presenter asks for input.
- The Expo Hall: Ah, the expo hall. A frenzied bacchanalia of sales, goodies, giveaways, and distractions. Sure to make a Zen master need Ritalin. Some expo hall-specific tips:
- Bring a good bag with you. You will inevitably have some papers and maybe a toy or two that you couldn't resist picking up. Have a sturdy, convenient bag over your shoulder to hold them. Do the rest of the convention a favor, though, and don't bring a rolling bag to drag behind you. Those things leave a wake of stubbed toes and shins behind them.
- Be choosy! Just about every booth will try to load you up with fliers and toys, just in the hopes that you'll stop and talk with them. Keep in mind that you have to carry everything you pick up for a million more steps that day, check it in your baggage, and deal with it once you get home. Make the things you pick up worth that effort.
- When you did your prep work for the conference and identified your goals and possible booth exhibitors who could help you meet those goals, you probably got a booth number that the exhibitor is in. Booth numbers are almost always impossible to see, but the booth aisles are usually clearly marked. Pay attention to the aisle numbers to find who you're looking for.
- Always carry something to write with and on. You'll constantly be bumping into people and seeing and hearing things that are worth following up on later. Your brain will NOT remember it in the sensory overload of a conference. Have a pen and some paper available at a second's notice.
- Be good to yourself. Eat at least one decent, healthy meal each day and drink lots of water. Trade shows are a lot of work and are stressful - hopefully they're the good, exciting, interesting kind of stress, but they're still stress. You're asking a little more of your body than usual, treat it well in return so you don't catch the Black Death on your plane ride home.
Enjoy your conference!
We are furiously preparing for the 
Citrix Online is sponsoring a Forrester Research report on the 
Next Thursday, May 8th, is the MindLeaders Suncoast Regional User Conference in St. Leo, Florida. I'm going to be one of the presenters: I'll be speaking about ROI ("Evaluation is the horse, the training program is the cart"), employee development ("This presentation is yet to be named"), and running a fun interactive discussion about training helps and hindrances called "Force Fields."