SalamiSam

New Business Rep

What tactics do you deploy for Networking at LARGE in person events?

My company is setting up a booth for SuiteWorld in Las Vegas this year, and I want to make the most of it for Networking. I am here to ask you all what has been your most successful tactic or strategy for in person events? Should I engage from my booth or walk around to others? Should I wear my swag or dress for success? Lemme know!

🤝 Networking

🙌 Events

17 comments

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1nbatopshotfan

Politicker

Sales

There’s no one simple solution.

You’ll want to do as much work before the event as possible, setting meetings and laying ground work for people to come to your space.

Next, review who else is exhibiting. Any targets? Seek them out. Email your targets “I see your team is at Suiteworld, will you be? If not who should I meet with.”

Dress however you want, that’s less important. If your company makes you wear polos with the logo, so be it. If not. The last event I went to was basically business casual. It was dressed down quite a bit from previous years.

Finally, follow the event on LinkedIn. Join any groups for it. Post and comment etc to raise your visibility.

Enjoy.

Cabbie

Good Citizen

AE (Account Executive)

This is awesome advice. Love it.

SalamiSam

Fire Starter

New Business Rep

thank you the input. I agree with what you're saying about getting some of the leg work done before the event. I was thinking about hosting a get together "release party" the night before the event and invite people to meet us for dinner and drinks...thoughts?

1nbatopshotfan

Politicker

Sales

That’s a great idea. You’ll have to push it hard because you’re competing with other events and Vegas in general.

RealPatrickBateman

Politicker

🔪Amateur Butcher🔪

I wear a banana hammock and a bowtie. Sure to get all eyes on you. You’re welcome.

Pachacuti

Politicker

They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy

Is your goal to network with attendees or other vendors?

Attendees - go to break out events and strike up a conversation with 1-2 people at each event. Also, if there is a lunch or other meal, sit down with people you don't know and talk to them.

Vendors - walk the floor during down times. Ask them simple questions about their experience at the show, their company, etc. Just be friendly. Ask them what other shows they go to. Hand them simple swag (pen, mints, etc.).

CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

@paddy can you chime in?

playerone

Politicker

Regional Account Executive

I always prefer to walk around instead of being idle. I go talk to the other booths as well. Always stand in the booth too. Never sit or lean, in fact be in the corner of the booth closest to the walkway.

looper1010

Celebrated Contributor

Solutions Specialist

I prefer to walk around and meet others. Best is to look up anyone attending and set a tentative invite. Let them know you're attending too and see if they'd like to meet. It's easier to exchange contact info beforehand rather than tracking them down during the event

QueenSoopers

Opinionated

Account Executive

just did this (alone) at Leadscon a couple of weeks ago.

others gave great advice but just to echo, set up meetings ahead of time, go to sessions and talk to people if you have time, definitely talk to other vendors when you can leave the booth.

i knew i was going alone so i made sure i’d only have a couple of pockets of downtime and it worked like a charm. set 8 meetings beforehand and finished the event with 13. i can be a little weird in situations like conferences when i’m alone so it was essential that i doubled up on my adderall and have a booked schedule.

good luck! conferences are fun!

SaaSam

Politicker

Account Executive

Depends on your personality. Personally, I hate sitting at a booth. I'd rather walk around and meet folks. I also am not a fan of wearing my own swag. Slacks and a polo used to be my go to. Now that I'm selling to law firms, always have that sports coat.

TheIncarceration

Politicker

SDR Manager

I'm assuming you've got someone running the booth with you? I was at an in-person conference in Vegas not too long ago. I basically ran around the exhibition hall inviting people to check out our booth while my colleague stayed back to chat/demo for people that came around. We got way more traffic to our booth than anyone around us.

Also you should see if the company hosting the event will share the registration list with you. You might be able to book some meetings prior and meet up with those prospects at the event.

DungeonsNDemos

Big Shot

Rolling 20's all day

Has your company done this show before? Or can you tell us what your strategy so far has been?

TennisandSales

Politicker

Head Of Sales

what do you mean by networking?

for like, a new gig?

Or prospecting for new deals?

bravadoben

Executive

Head of Revenue

When you strike up a conversation with someone at an event, these three questions always served me well:

What’s your business?
What brought you here?
Which speaker or topic have you found the most useful so far? Why?

Learned this from my CRO back when I worked the booth at events regularly as a Mid Market AE. It worked.

LordBusiness

Politicker

Chief Revenue Officer

Just finished a book “How to Talk to Anyone” —-lots of great tactics and skills in it to answer this question!

JuiceBox

Opinionated

Director

Biggest thing I can advise on is what helps me, and it is this: EVERYONE will walk up and ask "So what do you do", dont reply with "we sell x to x". Sell the problem you are solving with your solution. "So you know how the hardest part of your job is X, we fix that" or "so you know how its a huge headache when X, we can help with that" they don't care what you sell, just what it does for them. People will ASK for meetings and followup if this is done right.

Branding is key and important so I wear Swag, but we have nice swag, so that makes it easy. Reach out to any key partners and see what you can come up with to maximize the time there together (if you have any). As far as prospecting, we have had good luck doing a scan this qr code to be entered to win X, always brings a few hundred leads.

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