Earlier this week, ahead of the CIPD conference and exhibition ,I shared with you my guide for how to prepare for a visit to the exhibition. Now that the exhibition is over, I hope that you had a great time and safe journeys, it is time to look at all of the information you collected.
Obviously you have all the right information from exactly the right companies... Well, probably not. You always collect a few things you don’t need; because you were tempted by a prize draw, too curious or just too polite to say no! Even though saying no is the most polite thing to do.
Do not be tempted to put off dealing with all of this valuable information.
You’ll have to start by reviewing the objectives you set for attending the exhibition in the first place.
Did you meet all the companies on your hit list? if not contact them now and ask them to send the information you need to you. It might be possible for them to send it by email.
So let’s get started. You will need
- Dedicated time in your diary. Probably at least an hour in my experience. Don’t make it the last thing you do at the end of the day.
- A clear desk. Which is more difficult for some than it sounds, so book a meeting room or even use the floor
- Post-it notes, these are good for adding notes to brochures.
- Highlighter pens, to pinpoint the important information.
- Spare carrier bags - these are useful for storage
- A good supply of tea/coffee and chocolate biscuits.
The FirstEleven™ things to remember about sorting out the brochure bag(s) are
1. Remember to sort out all the trinkets you have collected, note any contact details that you don’t have elsewhere.
- Put all the items that will be useful at work in a carrier bag and send them to the stationery cupboard.
- Put what is left in another bag and send it to a charity shop. They may be novelties now, but pretty soon they will become clutter, when you will get rid of them anyway, so cut out the delay and send them to charity now.
- Share out the chocolates and other sweets, hogging them all for yourself is just not what nice people do. But remember there is usually an exhibitor with Lindt truffles these should never be shared LOL!
2 Remember to put the brochures into subject related piles. Use any carrier bags you have to store these. Clearly label each bag.
- Do not put spare plastic bags in the bin. Think of the oceans and make sure that you or someone else uses them.
3 Remember to prioritise the order in which you will review the contents of each bag.
- Use your objectives to help.
- Time spent on subjects that aren’t going to help you meet your objectives is time wasted.
- Send information that will be more useful to other people to them. There is no point in holding on to it.
4 Remember to read the brochures: don’t just look at the pictures. If you don’t read them you will have carried them for nothing.
- Use the highlighter pens to identify the important pieces of information.
- Write additional notes on post-its and attach them at appropriate points
- Use the post-its as page markers in bulky brochures, so you can find important information quickly.
5. Remember to create something that collates your knowledge in one place. A comparison table of features, benefits, costs is a good idea.
6. Remember the show catalogue is one of the most important pieces of information you will have collected.
- Highlight the companies you met in one colour and those you would have liked to in another.
- Keep the show catalogue in a SAFE place and DON'T lose it!
7. Remember to share your new knowledge with other people,
- Create story boards with the information, or do a presentation.
- Make it easy for people to understand, and prove that your time at the exhibition was time well spent.
8. Remember to It's nice to be nice
- be polite when you are contacted by the companies you met at the exhibition.
- If you are not going to buy from them explain why.
9. Remember to contact the companies you have short listed or want additional information from.
- It is important to do all the action points you promised either at the show or during follow-up conversations.
10. Remember to store the information you have collected in an easily accessible and clearly understandable system. You may need to get hold of it quickly.
11. Remember to make your stored information dynamic.
- Add news about the company,
- product reviews or new brochures
- Make sure that your information stays current.
If you have tried any of my hints when you have been attending an exhibition, whether it has been a large or small one let me know what impact they had on your visit.
I would also like to hear from you if you think I have missed something.
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