Difficult second albums. Disappointing films with excellent trailers. The pizza you inexplicably chose instead of your regular order. So many promising things fail to live up to the hype. Industry events shouldn’t fall into this category. Today, we look at three ways to ensure your expo experience lives up to all your stary-eyed expectations.
The eCommerce events industry is a crowded market. The season typically runs in a series of two distinct peaks and troughs. Things kick off in early Spring, die down in the summer months (hello childcare commitments.) They then grind back into action from September, before wrapping up in time for the busy BFCM / holiday season.
Across these busy periods, you have literally hundreds of events to choose from. Don’t stick a pin in a calendar and hope for the best. Ask yourself what you’re actually looking to get from attendance or participation and use this to strategically plan the best return on your investment.
There are many reasons you might choose to take part in an event.
Of course, all of these sound appealing – but make your objectives achievable; pick two goals and keep your focus on them strong.
Go in without a clear game plan and before you know it, the event will be over and you’ll be left with nothing but a handful of business cards for services you don’t need, and a mild dehydration headache.
Time has a funny way of behaving at conferences and expos; stretching out sessions that feel endless, or flashing past in a blur, as you struggle to complete your booth build ahead of hall shut down. You’re probably staying up late, eating at weird times, missing out on your typical daily rituals. Don’t fall into the trap of assuming that because your regular schedule has gone out of the window, your productivity has to suffer too.
Get dorky about your calendar, and block out your days. This should start well in advance of the event itself. Here are some steps to consider, which you can base around the objectives you’ve decided you’ll be focusing on.
Arrange these well in advance. Schedule these as early in the day as possible.
Better to pick a smaller number of sessions and give them your full attention. We can only absorb so much in a day, and most talks are filmed anyway.
Reset with some natural light and acoustics. Expo hall atmospheres can be notoriously grim.
It’s so easy to zombie shuffle your way through to cocktail hour and then wonder why that first weak beer has hit you for six.
Short bursts of focused activity and conversation are best. It’s easy to start
Travel as lightly as you can; avoid the coat check queue at all costs. These three items are genuinely worth the bag space.
Attending eCommerce Expo this month? So are blubolt. Block a bit of your precious time out to come meet us on our booth! Just drop us an email and let us know when you’ll be available, and we’ll be happy to schedule time, either with our Creative Director and CoFounder, Chris – or our COO, Leigh.
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