It’s difficult to see everything at a Clean Show, but most attendees have specific things they need to accomplish — particularly in times like these. Advance planning can give you a solid return on your investment of time and money. Here are 10 ideas for maximizing your Clean ’09 visit from Clean organizer Riddle & Associates.Set specific goals. What do you want to accomplish in New Orleans? Purchase or upgrade equipment? Learn about new technologies? Find a solution to a business problem? Interact with colleagues and friends? Prioritize what’s important to you.Develop a plan of action. Search Clean’s website, www.cleanshow.com, to find companies and products you wish to see, then locate them on the floor plan included at the site. Divide the floor into sections and visit one section at a time to avoid excess walking.Learn in the classroom. Take advantage of Clean ’09’s expanded educational program. The show’s six sponsors and several international associations will present sessions covering today’s biggest textile-care issues from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. every morning. You could pay hundreds of dollars for these sessions in another setting, but they’re included in Clean’s low registration fee. Check the schedule before you go at Clean’s website.Make appointments. For products you’re particularly interested in seeing, make an advance appointment with the exhibitor(s) to get one-on-one time.Plan your Itinerary. Once you know which booths you want to visit, which educational sessions you want to attend and the times of any appointments, you can use the itinerary tools at the Clean website to organize your visit.Check out the new stuff. Leave time to see new or smaller booths. You might find a product that’s right for your operation you never even knew existed.Control the conversation. If an exhibitor starts talking about features that don’t interest you, interrupt and steer the conversation toward aspects of the product that do concern you.Take notes. Documenting what you see and hear can be invaluable when you analyze your options. Carry a small notebook and devise a note-taking strategy that works for you.Educate your coworkers. Share your new knowledge with coworkers who couldn’t attend Clean. They’ll feel like they took part in the experience, and you can use the information to make your entire operation run more smoothly.Get comfy. Don’t wear yourself out. Wear light, comfortable clothes for the Southern heat. Wear comfortable shoes; you’re going to walk miles on the exhibit floor. And travel light — if you collect a lot of product literature, you can always mail it home from the business center.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Bruce Beggs at [email protected].