You know where your practice has been, where it is now, and where you want it to head. You also know that you didn’t get where you are today by wasting your time. The following tips will help to make the time you spend at a trade show more about gathering exciting information and less about wasting valuable time.

Tips To Avoid Wasting Time at Trade Shows

Talking with Exhibitors

• Use your time wisely, it is not necessary to visit every booth
• Determine a list of “must see” vendors before going to show
• Based on this information, create a list of questions to refer to that are specific to your practice needs
• When questions regarding highly technical matters arise, booth staff may not have the expertise to answer, nor the information available to offer
  • If this should happen, ask for appropriate contact information and to have the materials you need sent to you

Sign-Ups
When entering the different exhibits, a lot of time can be wasted writing the same information over and over again. Plan to speed up the process by using these easy suggestions.

• Print contact information onto sheets of peel-off mailing labels, apply a label when asked to provide information
• To control how much contact information you are providing, prepare meeting-specific business cards, for example:
  • While name, position, and office contact information would be good choices for most cards, perhaps providing the front desk phone or a more direct line of contact would be more appropriate
• Use available smart phone applications to convert and import contact information

Technology

• Landing Page
  • Many vendors use technology as a means for collecting contact information
    • On a web-designed landing page, your typed-in email address can quickly be validated and connected to stored contact information for future use
    • The request is often for the same information found on a business card, so be prepared to type in the data correctly
• Quick Response (QR) Codes
  • Able to be scanned with a smart phone, QR codes work as a link to spread information
  • Having a QR code placed directly on your business card enables a vendor to quickly link to your contact and/or work website information
  • QR codes displayed on vendor booths will provide you with contact information of the company, its representatives, and products
• Short Message Service (SMS)
  • SMS works in the following way:
    • Information is sent as a text to the number you provide; you respond by typing in a keyword which will connect your number with a text messaging alert list
  • When used during a trade show, SMS works as a tool to quickly send last-minute notifications, which may benefit you in times that arise with, for example:
    • Speaker cancellations
    • Time or room change notifications
    • Special appearances
    • Panel discussions
    • Special vendor offerings

When you have committed your time to attend a trade show, optimizing the steps to gathering information can be done quickly and with little effort. Want additional tips to benefit your practice? Contact your Covetrus Representative at 855.724.3461.

Sources:

https://www.woodst.com/mobile-solutions/3-tips-on-mobile-qr-codes-and-trade-show-marketing/