As a blogger I have attended tradeshows in the past and I have attended a couple in my assistant work life that were much more fun than work (but we don’t talk about those.) The thing is there are particular people who are at every tradeshow you ever go to and if you have ever attended one then you know what I mean. Recently I saw this funny article about the ten people you meet and thought I would share my perspective on it.
There of course is that one person who knows every single person there because they have stalked them. I actually had this happen when I attended a tradeshow with Lenore. Even though I was there working for her because I am her assistant the chick came up and knew me by name and not because she follows my blog either. All I kept thinking was…creepy! Okay I was actually thinking more along the lines of “OMG! She is going to kill us later because who in their right minds learns the names of the people who are int he background for the most part.”
Then is the person there just for the free stuff. If you are a blogger and have attended anything you know there is always swag involved. This happens at a lot of other events too. There is always that one person who looks like a pack mule because they have managed to get every single piece of swag possible including things that you didn’t even realize was swag. However hand them a business card or flyer and they look at you like you are the devil.
There is usually a keynote speaker and this could go either way. I have been to some where the speaker was great and I learned a lot. Others I wanted to throw myself out into traffic. However I always make a point of listening to the speaker because you never know when what they say is going to come in handy later.
Of course that is just a few of the people who you meet. You can read the entire “The 10 People You Meet at a Tradeshow” article and find out more about all of the people who you come across. it is really useful and funny to boot.
I live in a small Georgia town that you most likely have never heard of and I LOVE it! My house is more than full as I am a single mother of four & caregiver to my aging mother and uncle. Lover of all things Outlander. Goes to the beat of her own drum woman.
Michelle S says
I have been to a tradeshow related to the training industry. I enjoyed seeing different products and tools but didn’t like the pushiness of some of the people.
Dana Rodriguez says
That IS funny. I am sure going to the different booths is interesting but I bet there are plenty of annoying parts lol.
ginette4 says
I have been to many trade shows, they are always so much fun and the stuff you walk away with from different companies is a bonus
Anne says
I’ve never been to a tradeshow or a conference. My spouse is a frequent attendee and sometime speaker, and in fact, he is traveling home from a conference right now. I always ask him to check the booths for good swag, but he’s not interested. At least he brings me shampoo from the hotels–LOL!
ellen beck says
I have been to a couple of tradeshows. They were to me, fun and exciting. I am a quilter and they had one in St Louis and another the next year in Minneapolis. Both were so huge I couldt even get through it all. I met aa few authors I was thrilled to meet. It sounds like aa blogger thing is much different. Maybe it is personalities, but the ones I was at, there was nothing odd about it, and people were quite friendly.
rust says
I’ve not been but I have a friend who goes and she loves them! She’s invited me to go but it’s never worked but I will attend one one of these days.
Rebecca b says
It sounds completely overwhelming. I’m not sure I would survive!