It's a Whole Lotta Show
- Jul 16, 2014
- 3 min read
By Jamie Damato Migdal, CEO and Pet Industry Entrepreneur
I have to admit – I’m kind of a trade show junkie. I’d like to say that it’s just because there are so many opportunities to meet other pet industry professionals and catch up with the latest and greatest inventions, but that’s not the entire truth. It is a large part of why I like to go, but the other part of me – the one that likes shiny objects – is just plain old enthralled by the sheer number of things to see and touch (and buy).
It’s a little easier to stay focused when you’re a vendor and have to be at a booth for most of the day, but if you’re going there as an unattached pet industry professional, you will almost certainly get overwhelmed by the number of displays and end up wandering in circles before finally giving up and sitting down in the food court with a cold drink and a giant pretzel.
Now that THE big trade show is coming up – Backer’s Total Pet Expo, on September 19-21 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont – I’m going to share a few tips with you on how to get the most out of your visit to the event.
If you’re from out of town, book your hotel room. Now.
Make sure you’re registered for the show (registration is free through August 22); once that is done, register for the Smart Zone sessions that interest you, because they tend to fill up quickly.
Look at the exhibitor list and figure out who you need to see.
Research the companies on your list; if the information you need is already online, you can bump them down the list. The companies that have only basic data online should go to the top of your list.
Create a list of questions for the vendors, so that you can get all the information you need and aren’t wasting either your time or theirs.
Bring lots of business cards, and make notes on the backs of the cards you are given so that you can remember what you talked about.
Plot the vendors out on the exhibit hall map, so that you don’t spend a lot of time wandering aimlessly looking for booths. The more you wander, the more likely you are to get sucked into the kiosk selling cocker spaniel socks.
Build time into your day to allow yourself to get sucked into those kiosks selling cocker spaniel socks. One of the real joys of this event is seeing and touching new products, or watching demonstrations of things that you might not need, but still find fascinating.
Stay hydrated, and bring along healthy snacks to keep your energy up. Nothing will sap your desire to keep walking like a sugar crash, and nothing will make you feel worse than dealing with a sugar crash by getting a giant spindle of cotton candy. (Trust me on this.)
Bring a tote bag for all the treats and samples you’ll collect during the day.
Check out my blog post and videos from the Backer’s Total Pet Expo last year – it will give you a good idea of the range and variety of vendors you can expect to see this year. To give you an even better idea of the size of the expo, here are some numbers for you - last year’s show brought in 408 exhibitors in 693 booths, and over 6,500 retail buyers from around the world. That’s a whole lotta show, and I can't wait to go back.
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What are your tips for getting the most out of trade shows? Put them in the comments – we’d love to read them!
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