Episode # 85. Today the Road 2 Retail team shares our thoughts on how to prepare and attend an industry trade show or conference. Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast at Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. Plus- give us a follow on LinkedIn. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. The trade show and industry conference season is upon us. EXPO West is just a week away! These events are expensive to attend and can be overwhelming if you have never attended one before and don't have a solid plan in place in order to maximize the return on your investment of time and capital. Among the topics we cover today include: - We discuss the different kinds of trade shows and conferences there are and the purposes they serve. They are not all alike.- The importance of having a plan and objectives for the shows and conferences you decide to attend. Simply standing in a booth all day will not cut it.- Some shows are for selling, some conferences are topic specific such as updates on Regulatory matters or ingredients shows.- If you decide to have a booth at an event- how do I attract people to my booth, get meetings, and differentiate my booth from others in my category? Hints: samples are great! As is motion and action. Two people standing behind a draped card table....not exciting!- We cover the importance of working the meeting from the very beginning to the very end of each day. Opportunity presents itself to those that work the entire time.- And finally- some key points about the importance of precise, personalized follow up. Enjoy the show! Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com.