The Convention and Your Business

The standard convention is a great place for businessmen of all stripes to meet and discuss all aspects of the related business. While this makes them the ideal place for businessmen to network, a lot of people have no real idea how to do so; most of them are more interested in the business itself than the social aspects of it. This means that while they can run the business well, they may not always be taking full advantage of opportunities that fall their way. This applies especially when it comes to social situations such as conventions where they are more interested in selling their product and attending the panels and workshops than they are shaking hands.

With that in mind, here are some suggestions on how to better prepare and use the conventions to help network your business.

Getting Ready To Shake Hands

When it comes to preparing for a convention, there is more than just making sure your booth is ready. There are three things you can do to get ready for the convention: research, business cards, and press releases. The research itself is simple: You just need to figure out who is going and who among them you need to meet. Once you know who is going, make a list of businesses that you would like to meet. Don't worry about meeting everyone, and you can always send a representative instead of you yourself, this is just to set goals more than anything else.

You should also make sure that you have some sort of press release set up. At its best, this is a pamphlet that describes your business (especially its goals and size), what it does, and examples of both its best products and its new ones. It should also include any major news about the company, such as new managers, new locations, or any developments important to the company and how you are handling them. It should also contain your website and all social media information. The business card needs to look good, be tasteful, and contain all of your contact information, including your website. These two items will make talking to new people a lot easier.

[This is a great excuse to make sure you have some sort of purse or messenger bag. While you can leave the boxes of pamphlets and cards in your room or at the booth, you should always have some on hand. You can always send for more if needed. Also, some vendors can create pamphlets that hold business cards, making giving them out more efficient. Lastly, these can be delivered straight to the convention so that you don't need to worry about carrying them to the convention yourself.]

When You Get There

Your best bet is to adopt a three-pronged approach, especially if you have an actual booth.

1. The Booth: You should always have pamphlets and business cards available here. If you have boxes of them, it's a good idea to keep them so you can refill their holders should you run out or run low. If you have freebies, you should hand out all three at the same time.
2. During Panels & Workshops: Most of these will offer you a chance to meet others, and when you do so you can always ask if they would like more information on your business. If they do, then you can offer them the pamphlet and/or business card. If the other person wishes to discuss the information presented, facilitate this if possible, possibly by suggesting grabbing a bite to eat or a drink, so someplace where you can sit down casually and introduce each other while discussing things.
3. Targeted Approach: Remember the list you created before you even left home? Here's where you take advantage of that list: Track down those on your list, introduce yourself, and ask if they would like to talk business. Very few of those there are NOT there for the sake of business, especially if they have a booth, so don't feel like you're impinging on them by bringing up business. Nonetheless, try to be relatively casual; this is an informal situation, after all, and that will actually help facilitate matters. But don't be too casual or you may create a gaffe, and that could lead to bad consequences later on. It's not as hard as you may think it is; just remember to treat the person (and those who approach you) with respect and you should do fine.

When You Get Back Home 

It doesn't stop when the convention is over. You will need to follow up with any promised calls and e-mails, possibly arranging for calls and virtual meetings. If the other business is local, then you could arrange tours of your location and arrange for meetings at local restaurants. You can also arrange for spa days or meetings on the range if it works out better for the two of you. You just need to remember that you're forging a potential ally and that takes work; you've started the process so now you need to do the real work.

With this is mind, the convention can be a great place to find both those you can work with as well as potential allies, and then work with them to help out your business. You can also take advantage of any intelligence gathered on rivals, but how you use that is up to you. The key here is that the convention is a place where you can find some great opportunities for your business and, with a little bit of diplomacy, help your business grow.