CHICAGO — Trade show education sessions are prime opportunities to experience new ideas, upgrade professional skills and meet colleagues.
Trade Show Executive (TSE) spoke with Sherrif Karamat, CAE, President and CEO of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), for strategies to help professionals make the most of them.
- Prioritize Necessary Topics
To those confused about which sessions to attend, especially at bigger events, Karamat advised to focus on essential skills or subjects.
“I would look at a philosophy of ‘need to know’ vs. ‘nice to know’ and then go from there,” Karamat said.
Karamat had similar advice for balancing education with time spent on the show floor and at networking opportunities.
“Be very focused on the people that you really want to see on the trade show floor and really map that out, because anything else over and above that would just be nice to have,” Karamat explained.
- Find a Challenge
Sherriff Karamat, CAE, PCMA President & CEO
“We never learn until we get out of our comfort zones,” Karamat added. “The magic happens when you do that. Don’t limit yourself to just being focused on the things that you absolutely have to get done. You’ve got to make time to introduce yourself to some new concepts that might give you a breakthrough in your thinking or open up your mind to something that you didn’t think about.”
- Make Connections
While learning should be one’s main priority at education sessions, Karamat recommends trying to meet other attendees and scheduling time to exchange ideas later.
“The people that you meet and interact with in those sessions — maximize the time with them,” Karamat said. “When you’re in a room and content is either being thrown at you, or you’re participating in that content, you need time to reflect … go to a networking session after and reconnect with the people that you met.”
Related. How Do I Launch a Trade Show?
- Be Yourself
To first-time attendees with the jitters, Karamat had this to say:
“Remember that every person at that trade show or that education session was a first-timer once upon a time. If you have that in mind, you realize that everyone went through that experience … I don’t know anyone that didn’t have a first time — including myself. My advice is to go there and be open to saying hello.
“Be open to what you may want to learn or if you don’t know anything, you’re just going there with an open slate, just be very truthful about that and be yourself. I find that if you are being yourself when you attend something, people gravitate towards you … [and] when you’re a first timer to anything, most people are willing to assist you, and most people want to support you.”
- Be Ready to Contribute
According to Karamat, more seasoned attendees are interested in learning from less-experienced participants, and young professionals should come ready to share their insights.
“There’s such an opportunity for both sides to learn from each other,” Karamat shared. “Learning today is not just about the professor at the front of the room, but all. I never term a person as an attendee — they are a participant. We learn from each other and we learn with each other.”
- Check out PCMA’s Resources
PCMA has student chapters and networks worldwide that are devoted to helping event participants succeed, even before they start working.
“I encourage you, as a young professional, to jump in with both feet. You will find that the environment is absolutely welcoming,” Karamat said.
Curious about the future of trade show education? Karamat believes that informative content is merging with exhibitor activity on the show floor, and more vendors than ever are sharing their knowledge through immersive presentations and experiences.
“It’s a collision of content, commerce and community, and that’s been a massive change over the years,” Karamat explained. “You can have stands providing education and content that are really relevant for the people at the show. It’s really transforming the way a trade show looks today.”
Stay tuned for more from TSE on this topic, and you can learn more about PCMA here.
Put these insights to good use at upcoming industry events, including IAEE’s Expo! Expo! And PCMA’s Convening Leaders in January. Check out TSE’s first-timers guide to Expo! Expo! next week in the Young Professionals Corner!
