I recently had the honor of working the Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit for one of our clients.  The show was a success with many soldiers walking the hall.  There was a nice buzz of networking, meetings and business throughout the entire 2 ½ day event.

Attending and working trade shows is a good way to catch up with friends and colleagues, meet new people and visit beautiful cities.  One of the best things about trade shows is that you have all of your industry friends and colleagues under one roof.  So I took advantage and asked for trade show tips from some of our closest friends and colleagues.

1. First, I asked our exhibit house partner, Steve Powers with Derse:

• “Start planning early and have realistic expectations.  There is always something that will go wrong at a show, from forgotten business cards to exhibit structure problems.  Things will always work out though, if you have plenty of time to plan for all outcomes.”

2. Our friends at Donaldson Aerospace & Defense had some great tips:

• Thomas Newman said to “bring business cards!”
• And Robert Sternberg said “don’t forget your comfortable shoes.”
• Eric Erickson said to “Hire BDN! Then you get a helpful trade show kit packed with items you never plan to bring, but always end up needing. Like Band Aids, breath mints and inserts for your shoes!”

3. Brad Pedersen, President and CEO of Breeze-Eastern, had similar suggestions:

• “Pack business cards early and invest in comfortable shoes strictly for trade shows.”

4. Dave Simmons, a new friend with the University of Alabama’s Rotorcraft Systems Engineering and Simulation Center, said:

• “Have a cool video like you do!  It attracts people and is really impressive.”

5. Our media partners came to visit and gave me some great ideas:

• Gerald Foley with Defense News suggested doing a dry run through the hall before the show starts. “It never fails that every year there is a different layout for the show.  I like to study the layout before the show so I map out my route.”  He also suggested being where the crowds are. “If you follow the crowds, that is usually where you’ll find a General or a Congressman.”
• Sally Passey with Monch Publishing said to rest whenever you can “because it’s always a long couple days on your feet.”
• Randy Jones with Rotor & Wing suggested, “setting expectations in advance” so people know you want to connect during the show.

6. Susan Bullock with Avalex Technologies mentioned giving yourself as much time as possible to set up.

7. On my last day I talked to employees at the FedEx business center who advised to “expect handling fees!”

8. My top tip for trade show success?  Be friendly and patient with the vendors on site.  You never know when you may need a favor or last-minute carpet fix.