This week at SAM we are going to be putting on an Experienced Exhibitor Workshop with the main focus centering around Choosing The “Right” Conferences.
As I’ve been preparing for the workshop, it became very clear that there is no perfect list of meetings for everyone. In fact, when Ann and I get this question from exhibitors – “which meeting should I attend?” – it is a little overwhelming because there are so many factors that come into play when making these decisions. Hence, the need for the Experienced Exhibitor Workshop at SAM this week!
One area that I simply want to mention here and now, is that the best way to get to the root of this question, is to KNOW YOURSELF. And when I say know yourself, I really mean know your company inside and out…
Ask yourself these questions – and answer them TRUTHFULLY:
What is the makeup of the majority of my current customer base?
Again, answer truthfully; meaning describe what your current base actually is, not what you would want it to be. It’s fine if you do answer the question what you want it to be, but that’s an answer for a different question.
What is the makeup of the ideal DPM for the exact product you sell?
For example, if your staple product is an antifungal, targeting DPMs who are highly surgical may be more secondary or tertiary – vs. primary. If your most popular product is a sport orthotic, you may want to consider creating a sales funnel that targets the AAPSM.
Does geography affect your product/service or customer satisfaction?
Consider things like shipping/turnaround time; sales rep locations; ability to scale in a particular area. It’s not always the worst thing to focus on a particular region and do it really well, vs. trying to cover a larger region and service it poorly.
How Does Knowing All This Affect the Outcome of The Meetings I Choose?
Once you more fully understand the makeup of your current customer base, or the customer base you desire, you are in a better position to determine what kinds of meetings they go to. Additionally, once you know what you’re really good at providing, and/or the location in which you thrive, you can make decisions on where you know you are going to crush it!
There are a lot of ways to segment meeting types, but one of the ways I see to do is by the following criteria:
  • Regional and/or State Conferences (i.e. the National, SAM, MPC)
  • Niche Conferences (i.e. DermFoot, AAPSM, AMIFAS, ACFAP)
  • Series Conferences (i.e. Present, IFAF, Podiatry Institute)
There are so many aspects to consider when going through this process, so join us on Thursday at SAM in the exhibit hall at 2:30pm for our Experienced Exhibitor Workshop for more details on choosing the right meetings for you!
-Sarah Breymeier