I traveled to a show last week and saw first-hand how an attendee can be extra motivated to visit the show hall. Because I was that attendee.
Last week I attended my first Blogworld Expo, and for a change I crossed the aisle and went to a show as an attendee, not an exhibitor. I went for the fantastic conference sessions and to network with my fellow bloggers (especially those in the trade show industry, too).
The show was simply awesome. From early morning until time for dinner, I attended superb sessions on blogging and social media. And the networking time between the sessions was fruitful as well. As Mike McCallen said, the hallway conversations alone were worth the price of admission.
Every attendee I spoke with shared that positive vibe. We were all pumped to be there, getting inspired by fellow bloggers who had figured out how to be successful, and were sharing their best advice with us. This created a motivational and collaborative spirit.
So when I walked from the high notes of the sessions to hit the show floor, I walked in with an extremely positive mindset that had me walking the aisles with defenses down. I walked from booth to booth, glad to look at their offerings to see if they had something I’d heard about in a session, or if they had a solution to a problem just uncovered.
I wasn’t alone, either. There was a lot of eager traffic on the floor, sometimes to the point where the aisles were blocked, and you could not get to a booth staffer or inside some trade show exhibits.
This is no small feat to be glossed over. This is the synergistic value of the trade show and conference, where a great conference puts a spell on its attendees and in doing so helps create some magic for its exhibitors. Shows like that deserve a spot on your show schedule. Many thanks to Rick Calvert for creating this playhouse.
Have you experienced this emotional boost yourself, either as an attendee or an exhibitor? Share your story in the comments box below.
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Mike
Great hanging out with you at Blogworld. It was really a great time and I look forward to next year.
Mike
http://www.GrassShackRoad.com
Mike,
It was great to spend some time with you, too. I hope to see you there next year, if not sooner.
Wow, that is high praise coming from a trade show veteran Mike. Thank you. We do work really hard to make sure our exhibits are not overshadowed by the conference which is a real risk for events with compelling conference content. I am not sure if you noticed that we provided several periods where there were no conflicting activities with the exhibit hall. A half hour after each keynote in the morning, a long lunch break and on Saturday a 2 and a half hour reception in the exhibit hall to close the exhibits. We know our exhibitors invest a considerable amount of money to participate in our event and we want them to get their money’s worth.
Honestly I had never thought about how making attendees happy via the conference content would effect their interaction with exhibitors but it makes sense.
Thank you again Mike for the kind words and a resource we can send all potential future exhibitors to.
Rick,
Thank you for setting aside time for attendees to visit your exhibit hall that does not compete with your excellent conference sessions. Not all show producers get how critical that is.
I’ve been in this business for over 20 years, but I just realized at your show how an inspiring conference can inspire better shopping on the show floor!
And thank you very much for honoring us with your referrals. We value your confidence very much.