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reference for making follow-up calls. A bonus tip: More attendees are entering information into iPads. Digital notes are efficient for later review and also for passing along key insights to people who did not attend the show. to go through the information you need to compare products." And here's a bonus tip: Reduce travel time by scouting out a convenient venue for business talks before you meet exhibitors. Use the Internet or locate coffee areas once you are at the show. Tip 6: Pow-wow at quiet times Tip 7: Allow for serendipity Sometimes product information is fairly simple to grasp. Other times, though, you may need to devote critical thinking time to technical details. "When you go to a trade show, the individual who has paid for a booth is trying to sell you something that may be quite complex," says Bancroft. "That means you must initiate a way to find out more about that item, and you can't do that at the typical show floor, which is usually a chaos of noise and confusion." What's the solution? Schedule some quiet time to make rational decisions, suggests Bancroft. "Ask the booth sponsor to meet you for breakfast or lunch, where the quiet atmosphere allows you Schedule your time, but leave some open space. One of the benefits of a trade show is a potential for "serendipity," or the discovery of unanticipated knowledge or connections. So leave time for random encounters. "Everyone at the show wants to discover new things and meet new people," says Friedman. "That can be a productive situation. You may meet someone who does something similar to you but who is not a competitor. It can even happen in a lunch line. So I encourage you to find the opportunity to say hello to people." And for a bonus tip: Allow yourself the chance for fortuitous discovery. After you complete your most important work, schedule time to visit lower profile booths. Bonus tip: Reach better decisions by calling seminar leaders before the show for more details about a prospective presentation. Tip 8: Choose seminars wisely What seminars should you attend? Reaching a decision can be challenging, especially when you're pulled in eight different directions. Every hour you spend at a concurrent session after all is an hour that you're off the show floor. Even so, seminars are important to your bottom line. Their value is reflected in their growing presence. "We have found that 40% of today's exhibit floor is devoted to concurrent sessions, up from 20% some years ago," says Ducate. Why's that? "People are looking to solve technical problems, and they will attend sessions that promise to do that." That comment suggests a solution to the seminar conundrum: Attend those that deal with topics of immediate concern to your business. Look at each seminar listing and ask: "Will the information in this seminar help me solve a specific problem?" Tip 9: Share the wealth Productive trade-show attendance is a learned skill. And it's crucial to pass along the talent to the next generation. "It's good for a senior-level person to bring along a junior one," says Friedman. "The senior person can make introductions and put products in the context of business initiatives. Relationships established at trade shows can be very helpful in the future." Sharing such knowledge can lay a foundation for the continuing profitability of your business. And it will help foster a habit of efficient trade-show buying. "Time is money today," says Dallmeyer. "You need to maximize what you do at every trade show." ■ Phillip M. Perry is a New York City-based freelance writer. THE NEW N O W F E AT U R I N G . . . P R O FE S S I O N A L A F O R M U L A TO SALON TESTED FOR MORE VITAL ENERGY COMPLEX™ ENSURE SCALP & H A I R H E A LT H G R E AT S T Y L E & H E A LT H Y H A I R S C A N TO F I N D T H E R I G H T P RO D U C T S F O R YO U R H A I R T Y P E P ROV I D I N G I N N OVAT I V E H AIRC A RE S IN CE 1985 BECAUSE BEAUTY SHOULD BE SIMPLE TM For more information contact Jean Rooryck, Head of Business Affairs: 310.433.0071 | JeanR@cristophelicensing.com | cristophe.com 50 September 2013 | beautystorebusiness.com