InfoComm15 is about to begin, and you’re either on the way to meet me here in Orlando, or you feel like you’re on the outside looking in as you sit in your office chair back home. Well don’t fret—I’m here to help you make it through the week whether you made the decision to head here to sunny Orlando or not!
First things first, don’t forget that the InfoComm show is a little aggressive. With over 30,000 of our closest friends roaming the halls of the OCCC and manufacturers all over the place displaying all their latest wares, one can get lost. Even if you didn’t make the trip, your inbox and social media feeds are surely all abuzz with news from the show. So here are a couple of ways that you can make the most of this year’s InfoComm Show:
1. Solve Your Top 3 Issues
InfoComm is full of surprises but the best surprise for you is to find a few problem solvers that will enhance your business! I always like to come into a show like this with a plan, a few problems that I need to solve. Don’t just show up and plan to wander aimlessly around the see of dazzling technology. The show is too big, and your time is too valuable to waste like that. Take some time leading up to your arrival to outline a couple of issues you’re having, or even a potential hotspot that you’re encountering. Take this time to scour the floor to find a solution that will solidify your approach and required budget for Digital Signage applications or some new column speakers specified for house of worship installations. I’m personally planning to take some time to look at some collaboration products for an upcoming project that we’re working on.
If you’re playing along at home, don’t forget, you’re with us in spirit! But you’ve got options too as the reporting and coverage of these shows has never been better. You’ve got an opportunity to follow along from home and see coverage on some products that can solve your problems too. Just remember, as the volume of coverage increases as the show progresses, you’ve got to do your best to filter your results down to the segment you’re looking for. And that’s not your only option, follow along on Twitter and other social media outlets. Gosh, you can even reach out to the network of #AVTweeps to help you find the products you’re looking for.
2. Don’t Pack Your Schedule
This one’s primarily for all the people joining us in Orlando and a rule I follow at every show I attend. It’s so tempting to pack your schedule full of appointments, meetings, and booth tours, but that has a tendency to make your trip lack a certain sense of adventure. I always like to leave a few hours open throughout the day to wander around the floor and see what I can find and whom I can have a chance encounter. Over the years of stomping the aisles of countless exhibit halls, I’ve found that some of my favorite products and some of my best solutions have been found not during any scheduled visits but during an aimless jaunt from one side of the convention center to the other. As so many people desire to scale back their trade show attendances, the aimless jaunts seem to fall by the wayside. And that’s a shame By slamming your schedule, you’re bound to loose the opportunity to stumble across something cool, possibly even something life changing.
3. Make A New Friend
This is a bit of a continuation of my last point, but it is so important that it deserved it’s own point. When you normally meet someone at an event such as InfoComm, it goes a little something like this… You’re headed to an appointment and see someone coming toward you down the aisle that you’ve known for years. You stop and say a quick hello and then run off to make your appointment. Well this works out great for you and your old friends, but it’s not that effective for making new friends. This is where a light schedule comes in. It gives you the power to attend many of the networking events, like the ever important #AVTweetup on Thursday afternoon. [Shameless plug: Seriously, come on out to the AVNation.tv #AVTweetUp Thursday at 4pm, Room W223A.] Some of my best friends and most valuable resources have been found and made at events like this, as well as being open to taking time to connect.
You can play along from home as well. Shows like InfoComm bring everyone out to their favorite social media platforms. This is your opportunity to hop online and jump into the social scene with both feet. You’ve got a chance to for all intents and purposes to log in remotely to the AV community in attendance at the show. Follow along with the #InfoComm15 and #AVTweeps hashtag to get involved with the action as the show floor opens on Wednesday.
Whether you’ve braved the humidity or avoided the crowds in Orlando and stayed home, you’ve got an opportunity to possibly experience the show in a whole new light. By first taking some time to find solutions that will fix some of your problems then ensuring that you’ve got the time to wander around and discover something cool and meet some great people, Infocomm15 with be an outstanding success.
Connect with me @mattdscott on twitter.
Matt D. Scott is president of OMEGA Audio Video, in London, Ontario, Canada.
