Whether you’ve been selling products online for years or you’re new to the game, attending an eCommerce trade show can help you make meaningful and valuable relationships with others in your industry. This includes finding the best suppliers that can help you boost your profit margins and hearing from successful keynote speakers.
When attending an eCommerce trade show, here’s what you should bring.
Comfortable Clothing and Shoes
While business casual is the standard dress code at conferences, it’s important to make sure you’re comfortable. You will be standing in place for long periods of time, and you probably won’t be sitting very much. There will be tons of walking, bag-carrying, and networking. In order to perform your best, you’ll need to feel your best. No one wants to network when their feet are in pain because they wore the wrong shoes.
Make sure to bring at least a few pairs of shoes, including gym shoes, so that you can guarantee that you are comfortable throughout the entire conference. If the dress code is business casual, try a pair of loafers that still look professional while remaining comfortable.
A Bag
Of course, you’ll need a bag to carry all of the things you’ll be carrying around at the conference. If you’re bringing note pads, pens, or your laptop, you’ll need something to carry it around so that you can more effectively network when the time comes. Make sure the bag you bring also has easy access to your business cards and other items you may want to bring out. On the flip side, make sure it has a space for all of the items you may pick up at the trade show.
Business Cards
When you make meaningful connections at trade shows, you’ll want to make sure those people can contact you should the need come up. Make sure to bring a stack of business cards and have them readily available to hand out. When you’re handed other people’s business cards, make sure that you keep them separate from yours to get rid of any confusion.
It may also be beneficial to write something on the business cards you collect to remind you what your conversation was about so that you can more easily start a conversation in the future.
Hygiene Supplies
Since networking is a huge part of any trade show, it’s important to look and feel your best so that you’re confident when meeting new people. In your bag, you may want to pack an extra toothbrush to use in the bathroom between snacks and coffee so that you can leave a good impression. You may also want to pack any extra make-up, a brush, perfume or cologne, and anything else you feel is necessary so that you can freshen up during breaks.
Some events have speaking events, and then networking events immediately after. This means that you won’t be able to go back to the hotel and grab these supplies or even a change of clothes. If you think you’ll want to change your clothes depending on the dress code of the events, make sure to bring them with you as well.
