5 Reasons To Attend Your Field Service Industry Trade Show

Thinking about attending a field service industry trade show? Here's why you shouldn't miss out.

You’ve been thinking about attending your field service industry trade show, but don’t quite know if it’s worth the effort. I get it. Attending field service industry trade shows can provide your business opportunities to grow and flourish, but doing so can cost a pretty penny and put the brakes on job production. Even so, you should view going to a trade show as an investment. You have the chance to meet people in similar fields, check out products that could give your business a boost, and learn a new skill.

1. Build your network.

A trade show is the perfect place to network with others in your field. Located in major cities, trade shows attract people within a common professional field. Oftentimes, even international workers in your field attend these events. A trade show provides a great place to meet and reconnect with people. You can also network more casually afterwards in the city or at networking events sponsored by the trade show.

Trade shows often teem with people who work in various areas of your industry. You can meet people who will promote your business if you promote theirs. This “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” arrangement doubles as an excellent way to market your business, increase your client base, and develop a lifelong symbiotic business relationship. Get scratching!

Ultimately, networking is a wonderful tool to grow your business and expand your reach. You never know who will recommend your business because they met you—and liked you—at that one trade show you went to.

2. Get new ideas.

Trade shows host a seemingly endless supply of businesses promoting their products at booths. These trade show displays could present a solution to a problem you weren’t aware of or offer ideas for how you can boost business. Last year, many businesses who didn’t know about Smart Service saw our booth at the WWETT Show and were able to become more profitable as a result. Who knows what solutions you could discover?

A trade show is a perfect place to get you out of a rut. It can provide that needed inspiration to push your business one step further! Why pass up an opportunity to actually follow through with your New Year’s resolution to grow your company? (After all, as New Year’s resolutions go, attending a trade show is a lot more fun than going to the gym or eating a salad every day.)

Convention centers can hold a lot of booths, and that means a lot of ideas that may spark your next business move, promotion, or change.

3. Everything is in one place.

When business owners, industry leaders and teachers, and product promoters are all consolidated to one area, it provides a chance to do a lot in a small amount of time. You can get up to date on industry trends, discover new products, and discover ways to increase business for your company.

If you’ve been looking for a way to make your business run smoother or attract more customers, attend your industry trade show to kill two birds with one stone. Trade shows offer visual examples of what is popular. Which booths have the biggest crowds? Large crowds could imply a new or popular product or industry trend. Since everything is in one place, you can also compare companies offering similar products. A consolidated event means easy access to information and a more efficient way to make business decisions.

4. Learn a new skill.

Many trade shows or conventions offer demonstrations or educational talks. These are excellent for learning a new skill applicable to your industry. Discovering what events will be taking place is easy. Go to the website of the trade show you want to attend. Some will likely feature compelling educational sessions on the main page. Generally, you’ll find a complete list on the website’s show schedule.

If you are a licensed technician, attending one of these talks could satisfy a continuing education requirement. For example, HVAC professionals attending the AHR Expo can earn six professional development hours from just a full day course!

Trade show demonstrations or talks are also a great platform to grow your network. Leaders in your industry are likely to be the ones providing these demonstrations. These people can provide insight to how they gained their success and could even become a contact for your company for the future.

Oftentimes, these talks will teach a particular skill that could give your business an edge in the industry. You could learn things like marketing your business to a particular group or a new technique to use on the job. Next time somebody says that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, you can tell them that you learned multiple new tricks at the last trade show. Ha! Take that!

5. What do you have to lose?

I suppose, when it comes down to it, the best reason to attend your industry trade show is that there is no reason not to; you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Many trade shows are free if you register in advance. If the trade show isn’t free, part of the cost could be written off in your taxes as a business expense (just be sure that you are doing this lawfully). Overall, you should look at attending your industry trade show as something that will yield a return of investment. Attending your industry trade show is an investment in your business and your future.

On top of the practical reasons to attend, there are some fun perks too! Trade show booths often offer free and useful items as promotional materials. Things like water bottles, cell phone add-ons, and candy—and that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Oftentimes, trade show vendors have special discounts on their products, raffles, or contests to encourage passerbys to check out their trade show display. You’ll leave feeling like you just won the showcase prize on The Price is Right.

Besides, a business trip can be a lot of fun! Because trade shows are normally held in large cities, attending your industry trade show can be a good way to check out a place you always wanted to go to. With your busy schedule, it can be difficult to fit in a trip to Chicago or Las Vegas, but attending a trade show is great way to justify such a vacation. So put on your flip flops (or skis) and pack your bags!

Key Notes

Attending your industry trade show should be viewed as an investment. Trade shows and conventions offer a place to build your network, spread the word about your business, and learn new skills. Plus, you might get to discover a cool new city! Rather than asking yourself if you can afford to go, you should ask if you can afford not to.

This trade show season, Smart Service will be at AHR, WWETT, ACCO/PHCC, NAID, and IDA. Check out the details here!