Trade Shows offer some of the most extensive opportunities to grow and build your network; they are also a zoo with many moving parts. The key to success is to plan before you arrive because once you get there, you often get caught up in the chaos, and all the important people you may want to meet will have a full schedule. 

BEFORE THE SHOW

1) Strategize

• Research:
• Look at the show website to see who will speak, host events, or display at a booth.
• Post questions on your social channel to ask who is heading to that particular show.
• Ask the contacts at your accounts if they will be attending.
  
  
• Make a list: Use research to develop a list of who you want to meet. Trade shows are an excellent place to deepen your relationship personally and with the brand.
  • • Accounts: bartenders, owners, etc
    • Suppliers: Barware or product suppliers etc 
    • Brand Managers
    • Distributors

2) Reach out to them beforehand: You want to make all of your appointments before you get to the show. 

3) Establish a place and time to meet.

• Invite accounts to a nice place, that is off the beaten path. If they are too popular, you risk the chance that you won't find a seat or that too many other folks you know will arrive and disturb your catch-up. 
  
  
• Meet them where they are: If they speak at a seminar or host a booth, go to them. If the person you want to meet is speaking at a workshop/seminar, meeting them before is generally best afterward they may too busy with others trying to ask them questions. 
  
  
• Invite them to brand events, a drink, dinner etc. Bring them as your plus one if you have access to fabulous events.

4) Create a schedule: Lastly, organize all your appointments in your calendar and set alarms so you can stay on top of all your meetings. 

5) Hire bartenders from your accounts to work events: The best way to make a bartender an advocate of your brand is to hire them to work your events. So strategize with your team members to decide how many bartenders you can hire and which accounts to hire from.

6) Review Social Media Accounts: Before meeting up with any contact quickly browse their social media so you can see what they have been up to. This will give you other things to talk about besides business.

In the video below, Taylor and I speak about a few best practices to follow when attending Trade Shows to grow your network and connect with the people who matter.

NETWORKING AT THE SHOW

Shows are a ton of fun but they can easily get out of hand. In order to get the most out of them there is few guidelines to follow:

1. Confirm all your meetings that you setup prior to the show- once people have a drink in their hand they tend to forget.
2. Be on time to your meetings/lunches/dinners etc
3. Be present with the people you are with. Shows can be a whirlwind, with tons of friends, acquaintences etc passing you at every turn. Instead of looking around the around the room to see who else is there, pay attention to the person your are with and have meaningful conversations.
4. Gather contact details: 1. When you grab someones card, take a picture of it ( many get lost) 2. Write on the back of the card where you met them and note about the conversation. ( you meet a lot of people and it is hard to remember them all)
   

OTHER VALUABLE THINGS TO ACHIEVE:

1. Check out the competition: attend other brand events to gather ideas, trends and best practices.
2. Observe trends: Make a note of trends, take photos and gather any information that you believe would be benificial to the brand and marketing team. After the show send a report of what you observed, this will go a long way in building your reputation within your company.
3. Attend seminars: Some of the best speakers are the world are present at the show. Decide what your professional goals are and attend the seminars that can help you achieve them or teach you about something that you are interested in.
4. Don't finish all your drinks and go to bed way before you want to. Being professional is always requirement as a Brand Ambassador.
   

AFTER THE SHOW

1. Friend everyone you met on social media and Linkedin
2. Send each person an email with a short note about where you met and what you spoke about. ( if you can remember, that's why the note on the back of the card is helpful).
3. Send a report to upper management- What did you: Observe, trends discovered, intel learned, inspirations for next year etc..