The Dating Game Going to a trade show?

Speed dating is a relatively new concept by which eligible singles gather in a group, pair off in couples for a few short minutes, then rotate on to the next candidate in search of a good match. It's designed to provide those seeking romance a chance to evaluate numerous potential mates in a condensed period of time.

     This has nothing to do with EMS, but it's a useful analogy for understanding EMS trade shows. At the average EMS trade show, a lot of vendors might have what you need, but you have a limited opportunity to get to know them and what they have to offer. In your quest for true happiness, you'll have to make the most of your time.

     "A trade show is an opportunity for a buyer to be able to look at and talk to representatives of different brands-to understand how they position their products," says Giff Swayne, president of the Lynnfield, MA-based Fire and Emergency Manufacturers and Services Association (FEMSA), which represents around 160 companies that provide fire and EMS products and services. "It's still important to have people come and visit you on your turf, but the trade show gives you a unique opportunity to see quite a few manufacturers in one place."

     "The value of trade shows is in the networking and research," agrees Todd LeDuc, NREMT-P, deputy fire chief of operations for the Broward County, FL, Sheriff's Office's Department of Fire Rescue. "The vendors can provide an introduction to products that are new on the market or in development. You can get an idea of what's out there in terms of revisions, updates and new technologies, then bring that back home."

Being Prepared
     The EMS industry's largest trade show, EMS EXPO, will have around 450 exhibitors when it kicks off later this month (Sept. 25–29) in Las Vegas. That's why it's important-especially at the larger shows-to approach things in an organized way, with a clear view of what you want and specific parameters to meet.

     "We've gotten to the point where you just can't just start at one end of the exhibit hall and work your way to the other," says longtime EXPO show manager Dave Caplin. "To get the most out of a show like this, you really should have some sort of organized plan."

     For the savvy shopper, such a plan entails doing a few key pieces of homework beforehand. Much of it is common sense.

     Obviously, before all else, you have to know what you need. No one knows that better than the end users who ultimately work with what you buy.

     "The first step," says LeDuc, "is getting input from key field staff-the folks who need the tools to conduct business-and identifying, through them, what the critical priorities are."

     Once armed with this list of specific attributes, you can conduct some preshow backgrounding.

     "You'll want to strategically prioritize what you need to look at," says Caplin. "Look at the show website and check out the exhibitor listings to see who'll be there. Check out some of those companies' websites. Get a sense of who has what and what interests you, then prioritize those companies and their booths. Map out their locations on the floor. Then prepare a list of questions you need resolved to make an intelligent decision-everything from technical specs to prices."

     Asking questions like this allows attendees to exploit a major advantage of trade shows over sales calls: Companies often have a broader cross-section of staff at shows-engineers and designers and executives, for instance, as opposed to just salespeople. Even better, the flow of information at a show can go both ways. Buyers gather information from sellers, but can also share front-line perspectives that inform those sellers' future product development.

     "There's often an opportunity for EMS to help better design products that meet its needs," says LeDuc. "Folks sitting in their station may not have the ability to help influence the design and development of a new product, but a trade show lets them have input into the ultimate end product they may purchase two or three years from now."

     Finally, remember that you don't have to commit to anything at a show. Collect your dates' information and decide who's worth seeing again-and maybe getting more serious with-but don't rush into a commitment. You can always follow up later, in a more controlled environment, to close a deal.

     Really, that's what the trade show is about: Assessing the pool of eligible candidates and narrowing it down. Invest the time to do it right.

     "One thing that can frustrate exhibitors," says Swayne, president of rescue equipment manufacturer Holmatro, "is that people who come to a show for its educational content may not even spend time on the show floor. It's not a small investment these companies make to support the show, and having exhibitors there, spending money to have staff and product and displays available, helps make the entire conference a success. The most important thing you can do is make sure you take the time to walk the show floor with an eye on what might be new or interesting. And if you see something like that, stop in the booth and ask a few questions. Those folks are there for your benefit."