This is the first time in 4 years I did not attend SupplySide West -- the mother of all food trade shows in my opinion (only because it involves a more diverse-crowd than the IFT Annual Expo). I've been to many different food trade shows, but SupplySide West is one of my favorites. Out of nostalgia I'd like to reflect on some tips and tricks I learned along the way.
This is a series of posts in which I share
snippets of what it's like to be a food scientist. As a product
developer for dry powder shakes, there are some lessons I never learned in school and some challenges I never saw coming.
1. Business Comfortable
Even my most comfortable heels were no match for the walking and standing involved with even one day of a trade show. I work for a company that sells fitness programs and supplements, so part of me thought I’d be perfectly justified rocking the sneakers-and-yoga-pants look. The other part of me felt self-conscious, and knew the yoga pants would make it hard to take me seriously during some of my more delicate or politically charged meetings. Sometimes a first impression is the only impression you get. Sometimes you need to have tough conversations with current suppliers. In both cases, it helps to look the part.
TIP – Find running shoes that are all black and wear slacks that cover the tops so no one really notices. Stay FAR away from any shape-up or tone-while-you-walk shoes, as these shoes are usually round on the bottom and you’ll be wishing for a flat surface to stand on by the end of the day.
2. The Back-up Carry On
Even if you pack light en route to the trade show, you’ll be astounded by the amount of freebies, samples, and papers you end up with. Sure, you’ll have a couple new reusable bags, but they might all be open.
TIP – Pack a draw-string bag. They’re cheap and don’t take up a lot of space when you’re packing for the trade show. For your return trip, you’ll want a bag you can close and check-in if necessary (how many ounces are those free samples that you’re flying back with you?).
3. Secret Sources of Warmth
We have the technology to visit Pluto, but for some reason a large conference room is always uncomfortably-cold. I understand that having hundreds of bodies in one space raises the temperature a few degrees. I understand that if it’s 100 degrees and humid outside people want a nice cool environment inside. Nonetheless, when your hands get too cold to properly hold a pen, it’s too cold.
TIP – Dress coats and jackets usually get in the way of the bags you’ll be carrying. Instead, try those thermo-care heat wraps for your lower back, or better yet, one of those “magic” weight-loss tummy wraps from a sporting goods store. These wraps double as back support, which is important becasuse, without even trying, your complimentary reusable bag will be jam-packed with paperwork and other items by day’s end. (So. Many. Freebies.)
4. Hand sanitizer Lotion Combo
There is quite a bit of handshaking to be done, and you have no idea where those hands were before you got there. At food trade shows especially, hands are constantly traveling hand to mouth, making the spread of germs even more precarious.
TIP – Keep both hand sanitizer and lotion in your bag, and keep them readily accessible (i.e. not buried in the bottom under the other goodies and papers you’ll accumulate throughout the day). Hand sanitizer isn’t a perfect solution, but who has time to wash your hands after every meeting or booth visit? Lotion is a good follow-up to the sanitizer to make sure your hands don’t get too dried out. Did I mention it’s usually freezing cold?
5. Essentials Kit Extras
Aside from the hand-sanitizer and lotion, the following items are extremely helpful:
- BLANK, UNMARKED pen – There are always free-pens galore but you DO NOT want to have a meeting with one of your customers or suppliers and get caught taking notes with a pen bearing their competitor’s name.
- Chap stick – because you’ll be talking , smiling, sampling, and/or fake-laughing all day long.
- Mints or mouthwash – because some of the free samples (or the
complimentary coffee) are not that yummy, or can linger; Shout-out to Swish4Energy, a
caffeinated mouthwash, which comes in handy in these situations.
- Portable, Discrete Caffeine – if you’re doing it right, you should have
breakfast, lunch, and dinner meetings with potential or current
customers/suppliers. Factor in the miles of walking and a tiny bit of
caffeine goes a long way, but you can’t just rely on coffee or energy
drinks. Convention center prices are always too high, and the coffee
lines are always too long. Energy shots might work but most are very
concentrated and some people will get offended if you have to break out
an energy shot during your meeting with them. Shout out to Elite Ops
energy strips, which are the most discrete form of caffeine I’ve come
across (think of those Listerine strips, but with a tiny bit of caffeine
– no one has to know you’re actually exhausted).
- Bouncy Ball – this is not to play with, it’s actually akin to a mini-foam roller for your feet. In your hotel room at the end of the day, rolling your foot over a bouncy ball is the best massage ever. Marbles are usually too hard or too small, plus you don’t want to lose them.
BOTTOM LINE
Trade shows like IFT, SupplySide and others can be very fun, and very productive, especially if you come prepared. What are some of your hard-learned lessons or Trade Show Essentials?
