The most obvious feature of any conference and expo is the exhibit floor. Depending on the nature of the conference (local, regional, national, international), the size of the floor and the diversity of products and services offered can be different. Since ISTE is an international society, can you guess how big the exhibit floor is for this one?
MASSIVE!
I/ITSEC was just as big, but of course the difference was these guys were cow-towing toward military contractors and 4-star generals who have slightly deeper pockets than us teachers. Simulators and other gadgets at that conference easily cost $5 million and up. Here at ISTE, the gadgetry isn't quite as out-of-this-world (mostly 10 different ways to make an interactive whiteboard), but the hustles are just about the same. There are all kinds of gimmicks we get, both in the mail and at the convention center, that are designed to get us to just visit the booth. When we get to the booth, they zap our badges with their handy dandy zapper, and use the information from that zap to send us more information on their particular product or service. They know that most people there are like me and have no power over the purse-strings so they don't anticipate selling us anything...but that doesn't mean we don't get any less free stuff. Yes, folks, that is the number one reason why people love conferences: FREE STUFF!!!
What is the etiquette of attending a conference and exhibit floor you ask? Good question. The answer is I have no idea. Your reasons for attending the conference is essentially a polar opposite from the reason of the dudes with the exhibitor badges. You want to learn stuff and get free stuff. They want to sell you (really expensive) stuff. Everyone has their own ideas for what to do, and ultimately you should go with your gut, but here are 3 simple tips I've taught myself over the years as to how to survive and exhibit hall showroom:
1) NO PRESSURE-Seems pretty simple doesn't it? Then, all of a sudden, a dude with a friendly face asks you if you're having a good conference. You do the polite thing and answer his question, and the next thing you know you're getting a hustle about fax machines. You didn't come there to buy fax machines, so you feel slightly awkward that he's wasting your time trying to sell you fax machines that you don't want to buy. Don't feel that way. He also know that you don't have $5,000 in your pocket to buy the fax machine, or whatever else he may be pitching. Listen to the spiel, smile and nod, and let him zap you too. You can always just delete the emails. Afterward, you can take his t-shirt and feel like you've earned it.
2) Scan the floor first and see what you think you like-With a small exhibit floor this is easy, with a floor as big as ISTE's, it's downright impossible. The idea, however, is to just scope out what stuff YOU want from them. Read through the program guide and get a list of the vendors. See what they're selling. Usually, conferences are pretty good when it comes to giving you maps locating everybody. Study that map, it's your treasure map, and every booth is where X marks the spot.
3) It's not always about the pens and pencils-Don't just go looking for the cheap trinkets that they may be giving away. They are nice, and if you're running low on writing implements, this is a great way to restock. However, many vendors offer prize raffles for things larger than pens or pencils. Sure your odds of winning are smaller than if you were to just receive a glow-in-the-dark pen, but if you enter enough of them, your odds of winning go up. Sue (my RSPS colleague) won $3,000 worth of classroom goods in a raffle today. As they say in the lottery, you can't win if you don't play, and the nice thing is that all of these contests are free to enter, but beware. They may have to zap you first.
There you have, 3 easy rules on how to make the most of your Expo experience. If you're really that shy and don't want to have anything to do with any sales pitch at all, just remember this one simple rule: eye contact is magnetic. You make eye contact with anybody wearing an exhibitor badge, rest assured you're about to listen to what they have to say. If you want to listen, then by all means look, but don't stare them down. Introduce yourself and say hi. Maybe even tell them where you're from and what you do. At the very least, it makes getting free stuff a little more worth it.
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