SAN FRANCISCO — Have you planned your trip to the 2017 Clean Show this June in Las Vegas yet?
Clean ’17 represents a gold mine in many ways, in addition to exposure to the latest machines being offered in the industry.
Right now, you may be thinking that the national trade show is a couple months off so there is no need to consider attending yet. Possibly you even believe that it’s a decision that can be put off until the last minute when you know if you have time, money, equipment needs, energy, and inclination.
Of course, you can delay, but every two years, you have an exceptional opportunity to attend the industry trade show that possibly should be renamed to something like “Fabricare Wheel of Fortune” because of the contribution it can make to your business and profitability.
It might be possible that your drycleaning operation doesn’t need any bright, shiny, new equipment, no matter how appealing. Many operations are in the situation where the current equipment is a good match for the foreseeable production demand.
However, determining that you don’t need new equipment is no reason to avoid Clean ’17.
The most obvious benefit possibility is to see trends and improvements in all the ancillary products and services such as chemicals, packaging, software, marketing, safety gear, human resources, and productivity.
Beyond the products and services on offer at the show, there are important and beneficial reasons for you and your key associates to participate in this event. Some of those reasons are as follows:
Give Help, Get Help
Sharing information and goodwill is, of course, not a one-directional transaction. However, it has been my experience that the more one is willing to share expertise, the more they receive in return for their efforts at networking.
Formal Educational Sessions
The organizers and individual exhibitors have designed educational sessions that address the many challenges you face daily in your company. Allocate sufficient time to attend all the relevant educational sessions for yourself and for your team members who accompany you on the trip.
Informal Educational Sessions
As professionals, you are aware of operators who are known for being industry leaders and/or for doing certain things exceptionally well. Trade shows are a good opportunity to schedule a time to meet these operators and discuss details of how they implemented their current systems. Asking what changes they would make and what recommendations they have will save you a tremendous amount of time, effort and money in your decision-making and implementation process.
Suppliers are also known for their areas of expertise and proficiency emphasis. Pick their brains on the details that they know and understand intricately as a result of their particular prominence in a given area of capability. They are extremely busy during this show, so arrange a specific date and time to meet.
Consultants of all varieties attend the shows to keep current and to meet suppliers, clients and prospects. Most are happy to share some of their knowledge with you in hope of the possibility that you will want to become a client.
List Your Show Goals
The visit will be most effective if each attendee lists their primary and secondary goals for the trip. Goal-setting will focus the scheduling and help prioritize the appointments to be efficient and on topic.
Go With a Plan
Everyone can maximize the benefits of visiting Clean ’17.
With prioritized goals in mind, a map of the exhibits, a schedule of the educational sessions and a list of industry leaders to meet, your itinerary can be designed well in advance to accommodate all of the exhibits, events, meetings, educational sessions, appointments and socializing that make this trade show so important.
Contacting your desired appointments early ensures that you and they set aside sufficient time in busy schedules to address the items of interest.
Let’s plan to meet at the show.
To read Part 1, go HERE.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Dave Davis at [email protected].