“Post Trade Show Paralyses”
What to do after the convention

by Paula and Lewis Turner
Special to Pet Product News

You’ve probably attended one or two sizeable trade shows for the year, and collected a suitcase full of samples and brochures. Now what do you do? We will offer some ideas on justifinmg the time and expense spent at trade shows.

Our Very First Experience
When we attended our first HH Backer show in Chicago, we were totally unprepared on how massive this was! We did not know to access their website ahead of time and print the list of vendors in attendance. Big mistake! If we had, we would have made better use of our first day. After limping back to our hotel room, we dumped all of the brochures and new products into a corner, soaked our feet in the Jacuzzi, and went out to dinner.

It became apparent that at our current rate of speed and aching legs, we would not see all of the booths during the three days! So, we consulted the directory over breakfast, and created a plan of attack by highlighting the vendors we had to see. Our journey continued. Mid-afternoon we stopped for a delicious convention lunch, rested our feet and moved forward … at a snail’s pace. Afterwards, we again dumped our collection of paper and supplies, returned to the Jacuzzi, attended the industry party (making an attempt to converse over the deafening music), left with a headache and a pocket full of business cards, caught a cable movie on the “big screen” TV, and drifted off to sleep around 1:00 am.

Our last morning was miserable; music was still ringing in our ears, the collected pile of stuff to take home barely fit into our suitcase…even after using duct tape and sitting on it… and the room service breakfast was cold and late. We had to drag the luggage to the downstairs holding area ourselves because everyone was busy checking out. Our return flight home was scheduled three hours after the convention had ended, thinking this was plenty of time! WRONG.

Convention over. We were escorted out by the union police as they carpet was being rolled up. Racing over to the hotel was no easy feat since we could barely walk. It was also useless since we had to wait in an endless line with everyone else whose luggage was being held. Stuck in traffic on the way to the airport, we looked at each other, trying to remember why we made this journey. At that moment, neither of us had a clue.

Late departure got us back to LAX at midnight. Must go to the store first thing in the morning to see what drama had transpired. Spent the next five days getting caught up after being gone four. Must be the new math. Finally returned to our routine. Click forward four months. At long last, time was scheduled to review the massive amount of material still inside the taped suitcase. All those notes taken now seemed like a foreign language. The pile was intense. What had we done wrong?

October 2005 – Older and Wiser
Our program was a little different. Pad in hand; we walked the isles of our store, making notes on which categories needed expansion. In this way, we were able to focus on our actual needs prior to arrival, and could then concentrate on those fabulous show specials!

We printed the list of vendors off the convention’s website a week ahead of time. On this list were booth numbers and contact information. After highlighting those we needed to see, we called and set up appointment times to meet at their booth. One of the benefits of attending trade shows is being able to meet with actual decision-makers/owners of the companies. By scheduling meetings, we avoided waiting for them to return from lunch or finish with a group of potential customers.

Each day was organized by grouping together by isle number the vendors we wanted to see. This would eliminate walking back and forth across the enormous convention halls. The list became our map, and made more efficient use of time.

Our flight was scheduled to arrive the afternoon prior to the convention’s start date so we could have a good night’s rest. We stayed at one of the hotels connecting to the convention center. It’s a little more expensive than staying in “off-site” hotels, but the convenience cuts down travel time…and time saves money! Using walkie-talkies allowed us to each start at different ends of the convention floor, but still communicate with one another. At night we shared our favorite finds, made folders for the vendors we had placed orders with, ordered in, and lights out at 11:30.

We were actually able to rise at the first wake up call and dressed by the time breakfast arrived. After reviewing our list for the day, walkie-talkies in hand, we set off. There was an opportunity to create relationships by meeting those we had scheduled time with beforehand. At the end of the day, we again returned to our room - bypassed the industry party - made folders, wrote up orders, and asleep by midnight.

Even though the final day ends earlier than the rest, we completed our hot list of “must sees” and had time to spare to see booths we had a peripheral interest in. No mad rush for the luggage this time…we were not returning home until the next afternoon. Having that one extra night to pack and make final notes made all the difference in the world.

We returned with a plan of action. The extra suitcase once thrown into the corner filled with a cornucopia of food and supply information, now contained manila folders complete with the manufacturers names, written orders, arrival dates and staff handouts.

Just a few simple changes in your plan of attack can turn a stressful and overwhelming situation into a successful venture. We encourage you to share your suggestions or stories regarding post-convention fatigue and how to make the most from the experience. We will forward them on our click-to-page: www.petcarecompany.net/great-reading.html

If there are topics or issues you would like to see addressed in this column, please email us at lewisnpaula@petcarecompany.net and we’ll give it our best shot. To learn more go to: www.petcarecompany.net/great-reading.html

Lewis and Paula Turner own The PetCare Company in Hermosa Beach, Calif.