By Nick Bilava, Storage.com
While trade show season in the self storage industry tends to bring out go-go-go attitudes, rushing through shows can unfortunately hinder the point of attending in the first place. Take a step back and check out these tips for fully utilizing your time spent at trade shows to avoid getting lost in the hustle and bustle.
Prepare Ahead of Time
After registering for a trade show, you’ll have access to plenty of information and promotional materials. Take advantage of this. Plan which presentations you want to attend (Specifically, find the ones that could be beneficial to your company and its culture). Split up topics between coworkers on the off chance that some presentations may have conflicting times. Then, you can regroup and exchange notes to make sure all of your bases are covered.
Reach Out
Keep an eye out for any professionals or companies attending with whom you could network. You might find that picking up the phone or shooting an email a few days before the show is a lot easier to ensure a time to meet up and discuss. A prearranged meeting lends a lot more time to actually dive into anything rather than trying to catch someone on a mission between happenings.
In addition, come up with a list of questions you would like to have answered before you leave the show. These may be general self storage industry questions or even specific things you’ve noticed work well for other operators. Make a plan to seek feedback from the people who can best answer these questions (e.g., presenters, fellow business acquaintances, etc.). and get a variety of opinions.
Be Open to Conversation
Not every exchange will be a win for your business, but going into it with that mindset certainly won’t open doors any faster. Stick to casual conversation for starters. Any common ground discovered not only helps the discussion progress, but builds rapport as well. What your business has to offer may or may not fit what someone is looking for and vice versa, but a great chat could lead to referrals or even partnerships down the road.
Pack the Little Things
Last but not least, here’s a quick reminder of the trade show essentials that you need to pack:
- event schedule
- planner
- business cards
- promotional materials
- notepads (because trying to scribble something on a napkin never works)
- pens
