Make the Most of Your Industry Trade Show Visit

BUSINESS

Make the Most of Your Industry Trade Show Visit

Distractions are everywhere in an exhibit hall full of new equipment, thread and garments; follow these tips to maximize the benefits of your trade show travel. March 02, 2010
By Pat Williams, Contributing Writer

Attending your first decorated apparel trade show is exhilarating. Even though the cost of travel is up, I don't think you can afford to miss the trade show closest to your home town. If you are new to the industry, prepare to be astounded by the number of new products and suppliers you will find. If you are an old hand in the industry, expect to find new products, ideas and processes to keep your business innovative and on the right track.

In order to get the most bang for your buck while attending events like the ISS shows (Imprinted Sportswear Shows) and others, follow these tips for maximizing your time.

Make a Plan
Trade shows are generally held on a Friday and Saturday with a short day on Sunday. Once you determine how many days you can attend it is important to make a plan to avoid missing anything that you want to see and do.

A typical one-day itinerary would be to make a list of all the vendors that you deal with most. As soon as you get your show guide, highlight those vendors' booths. Then start on one side of the trade show hall and visit the vendors by a systematic row order.

A two-day plan includes reviewing the schedule of classes and seeing if there is one you would like to attend. Then, on day one, start at one side of the show floor and walk up and down all of the aisles, highlighting booths in your trade show guide to visit more seriously on the second day. You can do this before or after attending your class.

A three-day plan would be to arrive the night before the show begins in order to be at the convention center as soon as the show opens.

Schedule two or three classes as well as a machine maintenance class. Walk the show on Friday. Visit your vendors around your classes on Saturday and Sunday. Then schedule your appointments with suppliers on Sunday when the show floor is not so busy.

Register Early
Early registration saves you trade show fees as well as cuts your time in registration lines when you first arrive at the show. Early registration also reminds you to make hotel and plane reservations when prices are best. Trade show hotels fill up fast, so it's important to make your reservations early. You can stay at hotels further away from the convention centers, which may seem less expensive, but the costs of taking taxis back and forth to the show will soon eat up any savings. Plus, networking with other embroiderers will be facilitated by staying at the hotels closest to the show.

Getting Yourself Ready
Since airlines are now charging for extra luggage, be sure to minimize the number of clothes you bring. But remember that trade show halls are often over-heated and/or over-cooled, so be prepared by dressing in layers. I like to wear jeans or slacks with a sleeveless vest over a shirt embroidered with my shop logo.

Eventually you will have to go outside, so remember to take a warm jacket. Do wear comfortable shoes, which in most cases means athletic shoes, as you will have a lot of ground to cover. Even though the aisles are carpeted, the carpet is laid over concrete floor without any padding, so it's pretty hard on the feet.

Stay hands-free to be able to enjoy the show more fully. Purses swinging from your shoulder not only get heavy, but also get in the way when you are trying to view samples. Try using a fanny pack or backpack to carry personal items with you.

You will see a number of attendees pulling a wheeled suitcase or bag to hold their personal items and samples they collect at the show. I don't recommend this — the show floor is always crowded and I think tug-along cases pose a potential hazard for tripping other attendees.

They also will wear out your arm before you're halfway though the show. If you will be collecting many catalogs and samples at the show, check your bag with the coat check booth and periodically bring your finds back to leave in your bag.

Do take plenty of business cards so you can do a lot of networking at the show with fellow decorators. You don't need to give cards to vendors, as they will scan a UPC code on your show badge to collect your contact information.

Be sure to take a small notebook and a pen for making notes, and highlighters for marking vendors of interest in your show guide.

Visiting Vendors
Vendors have a huge investment in their booths at these shows. Do not be afraid to ask them questions. They came because they want to show you what they have to offer, and will want to scan your badge so they can send you catalogs and other information by mail. Ask to see what new styles or equipment they have this year. As you are in each booth, keep your own customers in mind. It is much easier to sell a new product to an existing customer than it is to find a new customer.

Examine the new fabrics and styles, and learn the beneficial properties of each one. Piqué shirts are great and an important basic in our industry, so you don't need an education on them. However, being able to explain how a new moisture-wicking shirt or new jacket style can benefit your customer will increase sales once you return home.

Look for products and styles that aren't generally sold by other embroidery companies in your area. Being able to offer something different to your customers can greatly increase your sales.

Most vendors will have special pricing on samples ordered during the show, so take advantage and stock up on samples you can use in your shop.

This also is the time to address vendors with questions regarding credit lines and end-column pricing. Vendors may be more eager to extend these terms to potential new customers at trade shows.

Equipment
This is definitely the place to be if you are considering adding new equipment to your shop in the near future. At the shows you can compare — feature by feature — the different brands of machines.

If you are intent on purchasing, make appointments to sit down and discuss your requirements with the vendor. Sunday is a great time for these appointments as the trade show floor is less crowded. Special pricing on show floor samples might make this the perfect time to place your order too.

When visiting equipment vendors, spend some time outside of your comfort zone. Look for new processes that you don't normally do in-house. Have them demonstrate direct-to-garment printers, embossing machines, laser cutters, chenille machines and heat presses, as any of these might lead you to to increase the variety of services you offer to your customers.

Taking Classes
Great courses on a myriad of subjects are offered at trade shows. Whether you are a beginner in digitizing, screen printing, or need to bone up on marketing techniques, you should consider taking as many classes as you can fit into your schedule.

Even if you have been in the industry a while, you will find that the classes can motivate and revitalize you. This may challenge you to add a new and different technique to your decorating services. Last year, an ISS attendee was overheard leaving one of the digitizing classes saying, "I've learned more here today than I've learned in the past 10 years!"

Remember that a good part of what makes a class successful is the questions asked by the attendees. Don't be afraid to ask your questions — there are probably 10 other people in the class who need to know the answer too. They are just too shy to ask. Most speakers will let you know at the beginning of the class if questions will be taken during or after the lecture.

Networking
Last but not least, trade shows offer extensive opportunities to network with other attendees. Rewarding relationships that last a lifetime are often formed at these shows. When you go to lunch, you will find large round tables that sit eight or more people.

Don't look for an empty table. Instead, find an empty chair among a group of people. Everyone is wearing a badge that says where they are from. Questions about their hometown can be a good conversation starter. You might meet someone close to your own area who can loan you a cone of thread in a crunch.

If you make patches, you'll probably meet other attendees who don't that might use your services in the future. Or you might find someone who uses the same digitizing system you have, and you might trade tricks and techniques for using that software.

Attending the mixers will allow you even more time to mingle. Exchange business cards with as many other decorators as you can. To keep yourself from ending up with a stack of cards that mean nothing to you when you get home, make notes on the back of the cards as you collect them detailing what special services that company provides.

Pat Williams of Image Embroidery in Sierra Vista, Ariz., is an award-winning digitizer with experience in accounting and small-business management. For more information or to comment on this article, e-mail Pat at pwilliams22@cox.net or visit imageemb.com.

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