ISPA Chairman Patrick Huey announces the Expo Award Finalists at the 2023 ISPA Conference in Las Vegas .

LAST YEAR , ISPA CONFERENCE exhibitors participated for the first time in the ISPA Expo Awards . Created to celebrate the hard work and energy ISPA resource partners put into engaging booth displays , these awards recognized winners in four categories : l Best Island Booth l Best Inline / Linear Booth l Superstar Team l Best Sponsor Experience The ISPA Expo Awards return in 2024 . Every exhibitor is automatically entered in the competition . A team of volunteer judges walking the expo floor anonymously on the first two days of Conference will vote on exhibitors ’ booths . As in 2023 , winners will be announced during the third day ’ s Power Session and will receive special recognition in the post-Conference edition of Pulse magazine . Watch for a feature in the June issue .

EVEN BEFORE DEPARTING for the event , smart partici pants prepare for a successful trip . Jim Beretta of business marketing strategy consultation firm Customer Attraction offers several tips for trade show attendees . Here are a few of the best : l Preview the exhibitor list and identify the “ must see ” resource partners — then make sure to visit those booths before more casually strolling the rest of the show floor . l Schedule meetups with key contacts . In the weeks before the event , make plans for breakfast , lunch and dinner appointments or social outings . PRO TIP : Make restaurant reservations , even if you haven ’ t finalized your dining partners . A great way to arrange facetime with a newly-formed contact is to tell them you have reserved seats and would love to have them join you . l Plug into social media . Search LinkedIn for others mentioning their plans to attend the event . Post some thing interesting — what products you ’ ll be looking for always gets people ’ s attention — and be sure to use any event hashtags from the trade show organizer . l Pack extra business cards . Most trade show attendees identify “ more business cards ” as something they wish they had brought . PRO TIP : Write action items on the back of the business cards you receive — they will be a great reminder when you follow up . Find more insights into industry expos in Pulse Points ( page 54 ).

16 PULSE n MARCH 2024