Articles

It’s Also About Networking!

Categories: ISSA Insights, Straight Talk!

When you attend ISSA Show North America 2023, November 13-16, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, you will once again be impressed with the vast array of exhibitors, products, services, and much more on display. If you are like me, an industry trade show is like being a kid at a candy store—a treasure trove of stuff you must have.

There is no busier week than the week of ISSA Show North America. The trade show floor spans hours each day, giving you time to visit as many exhibitors as possible and try out (kick the tires?) all the cool stuff available to industry pros like you. And besides the show floor and all its activities, there are educational tracks, certification workshops, and classes to provide you with the information and training you need.

To go along with all of that, there are networking opportunities. But here’s the thing about networking: It’s not just a “thing you do.” It’s all day, every minute, during every activity you might engage in at the show. When you shake hands with an exhibitor and discuss products, you build a connection, a network. When you are in line at Starbucks, and a conversation with a fellow attendee ensues, that’s networking. Will there be a Starbucks near the show floor? I need to find out.

Bottom line: It’s all about networking. It’s my favorite part of any trade show or event.

On a recent Straight Talk! episode, my guest Dean Mercado, the founder and CEO of Online Marketing Muscle, shared some great strategies about how to maximize your networking efforts. You can watch the episode at issa.com/
networking. Here are a few bullet point tips he shared. You may not agree with all of them, but they give you something to consider.

Plan and prepare: Before leaving for ISSA Show North America, take time to research everything you may do. Plan your days. You don’t want to hear about a valuable workshop on Wednesday when it was on Tuesday.

Bring some old-fashioned, printed business cards. While some may opt for the digital card strategy, Mercado likes a regular business card he can hold onto and make sure he follows up on when he returns to his home office.

Execute your strategy. Put your game plan into action. Be there every day and learn and listen to everyone you can. Mercado says to “Be a stellar listener.” Have clear goals in mind and remember that a successful trade show extends beyond the show week. So, when you return home or to your office, it’s time to reflect on what was most important and what you need to do to follow up on that.

Learn more in the below episode of Straight Talk!. Do it now before you finalize your plans to attend the show. It’s great advice on what you should do to maximize your networking efforts. And if you haven’t registered yet for ISSA Show North America 2023 and booked your travel, don’t wait. The journey starts at issashow.com.

About the Author.

Jeff Cross is the ISSA media director, with media brands that include ISSA Today, Cleaning & Maintenance Management, and Cleanfax. He can be reached at [email protected] or 740-973-4236.