We’re in conference season at the moment, with several of the biggest geochemistry conferences taking place in the second half of the year. That got me thinking about what life is like as an exhibitor. I began my career as an academic, and when I attended conferences, I mostly saw the exhibitors as an opportunity to get a free mug or mouse mat. But for the last couple of decades, I’ve been on the other side (poacher turned gamekeeper if you like).

I would imagine that more readers of this blog are conferences attendees than exhibitors. So, it seemed apt to share my experiences and give the attendees a window into life as an exhibitor. For clarity, by “exhibitor”, I mean someone who is at the conference representing a company with a product or service to sell, who spends the majority of the conference or trade show standing or sitting at their company “booth” hoping to attract the attention of people like you, the conference attendees.

The first thing to learn about being a conference exhibitor is that your time at the company booth is very clearly divided into highs and lows. The lows consist of the time periods when the presentations are on, and most attendees are otherwise engaged. You might have the occasional straggler wandering aimlessly around the exhibition area, but otherwise you are left alone. And then there are the highs, the coffee breaks and lunch sessions where the attendees descend on the exhibitors with intent. These are the times you really need to look busy.

This is one of what I call the unwritten rules of being a conference exhibitor. What follows is a list of some of the other unwritten rules that I have learned over the years. If you work for one of the instrument vendors I think you’ll be able to relate to these, and you probably have some more of your own…

The unwritten rules of being a conference exhibitor:

Get your lunch early:

Lunch is always one of the busiest times at a conference or trade show. Many attendees will have a full schedule of talks to attend, so their only time slot to speak to vendor is at lunch. In other words, you’ll be busy, and with serious potential buyers too. Once the lectures start up again, all potential lunch options are likely gone. So… grab a sandwich just before the lunch session starts. You can always eat it later on.

Your competitors are busier than you:

It’s a quiet time at the exhibition, so you go for a casual stroll, just happening to walk past the booths of your main competitors. They’re busy, with at least two groups of attendees in deep discussion with the exhibition crew. How come, not fair!! But the truth is, there is an ebb and flow for all attendees, every time you look at your competitors you will pick a time when they are busy. Just get used to it and move on.

You will boot up your computer at the wrong time:

It’s quiet at the booth, maybe now is a time to sit down and boot up your computer; perhaps catch up with some e-mails and finish that quotation. This is exactly when your most important prospective customer comes to the booth. You quickly struggle out of your chair, knocking your coffee over. Your customer makes a throw away comment about it being nice that some people have time to relax. You feel your face going slightly red.

You will learn how to identify tire-kickers:

I appreciate “tire-kickers” may not be an international phrase, so by way of explanation I mean people who are visiting your booth but are only interested in your promotional goods (“swag”). In your first few conferences this will catch you out. Someone will visit your booth and engage you in a deep conversation about one of your products. You’ll respond enthusiastically, this could be your next customer! As the conversation comes to an end, they ask for some of the goodies on your booth table, which you are more than happy to give them. They walk away, and you never hear from them again. There’s more on this topic in the “hard won advice” section below.

You will be teased by the free wine and beer:

The majority of colleagues I’ve worked at exhibitions with will take the odd glass of wine or beer in the evenings after a hard day on the booth. We earned it, yeah? But at some shows, particularly those in Europe, there will be free wine and beer flowing in the early evening. This is often served nearby or even amongst the exhibitors (Goldschmidt, I’m looking at you, you’re the best!). The purpose of this is to bring the conference attendees forcibly closer to the paying exhibitors. You may feel that this booze is a reward for the hard-working exhibitors and that you should partake liberally. You’d be wrong. Your reward comes later in the evening when the show closes for the day. Stay sober; trying to explain the finer points of your detector technology whilst splashing beer around is not a good look.

My own hard-won advice when exhibiting:

After countless exhibitions and trade shows, I’ve learned a few tips. They’re all pretty obvious really, but I try to keep them in mind each time I go to a conference.

Wear shoes with cushioned soles:

The most obvious advice of all, but if you’re wearing smart dress shoes with solid soles, trust me you will regret it when you get to the ninth hour of standing at the booth.

Stand tall:

Speaking of shoes, stand up at the booth as much as possible. This makes you look more serious, more ready to answer questions, and more engaged with your audience. Nothing puts off potential customers more than booth staff who are sat down intently staring into their phones.

Stay sharp:

If you’re the poor soul that has to unpack all of the exhibition goods, bring a box cutter or sharp scissors in your checked luggage. If I think of the number of times I spent my first 15 minutes at an exhibition walking from booth to booth asking to borrow a knife to cut all of the cable ties…

Stay minty fresh:

During the day, food will be something grabbed in a hurry and you won’t be able to be fussy. So if it’s an egg sandwich, you don’t want to advertise that fact to every booth visitor that gets close to you. Keep some mints on hand, your booth visitors will appreciate it.

Spot the tire kickers:

You’ll soon learn how to tell them. Their eyes regularly shift down to the table of goodies. They’re probably young, and almost certainly have a branded bag on their shoulder from another exhibitor. They may even look a little nervous. But what to do? Firstly, always remember that these students are your future customers. Secondly, getting your “swag” into labs is never bad. So be generous! I’ve learned to get it out in the open right away. If I think someone is at the booth hoping for a pen and a tote bag, I just ask them outright, first thing. They’re usually very grateful at not having to do the “pretending to be interested” dance, and they will remember that you were helpful.

In my years as an exhibitor, I’ve come to appreciate the differing requirements of the exhibitor and the attendee. We both need each other (attendees – we subsidize your conference fee, and in return you may buy our stuff, it’s basically symbiotic!). In the last year I’ve attended two conferences where I have not been exhibiting, I’ve instead been there as an attendee to digest the talks. It was a gentle reminder that the role of an attendee, sitting all day and digesting technical content, may not be physically demanding but it certainly is mentally challenging. So, exhibitors, let’s go easy on them.

That’s all for this month, but if you’ve had any interesting experiences either as an exhibitor, or indeed as a conference attendee, then please let me know, I’d be keen to hear (Stephen.guilfoyle@isotopx.com).