8 smart tips for your fair visit

1. Plan your visit in advance and set goals

The key to making the most of your limited time at a trade fair is to set goals for your visit. You may know in advance which exhibitors you want to visit, which contacts you want to re-establish, new contacts you want to make or which programme activities you want to attend. Talk to your colleagues, who may not be attending the fair, about what would be interesting for them to learn about. The more you plan your visit, the more you will get out of it.

2. Alone is not always strong

More and more visitors come to a trade fair together with colleagues, which is an advantage as you can look at a variety of products and services from different points of view. Discuss different options together and get a common knowledge base. This will speed up the decision-making process after the fair.

3. Onboarding

Do you have new employees who need to get into the industry quickly? A visit to a trade fair is a unique opportunity to get a solid introduction and make new networks.

4. Follow the fair's newsletter, social media, website, etc.

The more you know about what will happen at the fair, the easier it is to plan your visit. Look at what the organisers and exhibitors are offering in terms of seminars and other activities. Don't fall into the trap of thinking you've seen and heard it all before; there's a good chance you'll learn something new.

5. Allow enough time for the visit

During your visit you will meet many interesting people and companies. Some meetings are planned while others are completely spontaneous, but they all take time. An unplanned meeting might blow up your schedule and some of the people you want to meet might be busy when you arrive at their stand. A good tip is therefore to set aside enough time, both for the planned and the unplanned.

6. Be open to new ideas and don't just focus on the exhibitors you have planned to meet

One of the great advantages of trade fairs is that we, as visitors, often learn things and approaches that we never thought of before. Often there are new and innovative solutions to our challenges. So take the time to talk to the product specialists you might not normally meet and also visit start-ups. Stay informed about what is happening in the market, look around and be prepared to listen.

7. Keep an open mind about who you want to talk to

Take the opportunity to stop when an exhibitor approaches you as you pass their stand. Make eye contact, smile and remember that a short conversation with a keen exhibitor can be the start of a long-term relationship.

8. Make use of the information gathered at the fair

Review the contacts and information you gathered during your visit and think about what you, or someone else in your company, could benefit from. Share what you have learnt.

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