Attending an industry trade show especially a massive one like the triennial ConExpo-Con/Agg in Las Vegas is a great way to make business connections that might otherwise verge on the impossible.
That’s true of other, smaller trades shows as well. The Work Truck Show in Indianapolis is a fine example. We wouldn’t miss it for the world. We haven’t missed one since 2015, shortly after this magazine launched.
You have to admit, though, that visiting Las Vegas resembles a journey to another world. Not that Indianapolis, the home of the National Truck Equipment Association’s Work Truck Show for the last decade, is anything to sneeze at. It is the hometown of the Indianapolis 500 and Kurt Vonnegut Jr., after all. And we do plan to make time to visit the new home of the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library during this year’s visit to Indy, which is happening as this goes to press.
The Work Truck Show — well organized as it is — can be daunting enough with more than 500 exhibitors occupying 500,000 square feet of the Indiana Convention Center. ConExpo, however, sprawls in comparison, covering an area five times as large with five times as many booths. And it draws five to 10 times as many people.
Overwhelming is how newcomers typically describe it.
That it’s also in Las Vegas just adds to the show’s over-the-top allure. For people who like heavy equipment and the service trucks and accessories needed to maintain them, ConExpo is like Christmas in Heaven.
Aside from gambling, entertainment, and titillation, Sin City is famous for its trade shows. Among the most well-known is the annual CES, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show. But the triennial ConExpo, owned and operated by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, holds its own as a special Las Vegas gathering. To paraphrase what a Vegas cab driver told us one time, “The difference between CES and ConExpo is that a visitor to CES will come to Vegas with a $20 bill and one T-shirt and won’t change either one all week.” ConExpo visitors on the other hand…
We’re experienced enough from not only ConExpo but at other trade shows in recent years to know what to expect. Sort of. One of the main things is to expect the unexpected.
What we have learned more than any- thing else is that a trade show provides ample opportunities for the face-to-face contact that remains, even in this electronic age, so crucial to fostering successful business relationships. Sure, the telephone, email, and Skype can put you in touch instantly with customers anywhere in the world. But you cannot shake hands over the Internet (yet) and you certainly can’t get together for a drink.
ConExpo — which is co-located with the International Exposition for Power Transmission certainly has the potential to overwhelm. So it pays to be prepared.
Before departing for Las Vegas, one valuable tactic is to search through the exhibitors’ list on the ConExpo website and map out a strategy for visiting all the booths one wants to see in a strategic fashion.
Poring over the listings on the show website will enable you to identify the exhibitions and sessions that you really don’t want to miss. Should you leave that exercise until after you arrive at the show, then you run the risk of being overly distracted. Not that a little distraction isn’t wonderful in its own right. Setting aside a few moments just to wander around the show and let it wash over you can also produce unexpected and happy results.
Just don’t leave too much to chance. The opportunities to network abound.
Oftentimes, though, a softer approach works better than an aggressive one. Avoid spending too much time buttonholing an exhibitor, for example, especially if a prospective client is waiting with a question.
And rather than relentlessly talk shop, just try having a conversation, about sports or entertainment, or share a laugh. That can lead to a meeting outside the show venue, where you can explore future business prospects away from the hustle and bustle of the exhibition floor.
Above all, don’t be afraid to ask questions and break the ice. People come to trade shows to learn.
For more information about ConExpo, taking place March 10-14, www.conexpoconagg.com.