Tips for Navigating the Expo at Convergence 2012

Authored By:  Linda Reno, Hitachi Medical Systems America

A big part of Convergence is the Expo Experience.  Not only is Monday evening devoted to the Expo, but it is open for more than 23 hours throughout Convergence.  The Expo is a valuable opportunity to meet firms that provide professional services related to Dynamics products and have applications that complement your Microsoft Dynamics system but, with close to 250 exhibitors, it can be overwhelming.  Here's some of the ways I get the most out of my Expo Experience.

• Plan! Visit this link for a list of exhibitors including which products they support. I use this to filter for the exhibitors who support the Dynamics products my organization uses. Then I review the detailed information for those exhibitors and flag the ones I want to be sure to visit. The web site supports flagging the exhibitors and printing a floor plan of the Exhibit Hall with the exhibitors I flagged identified. I print this and carry it with me so I can check off the exhibitors I have met with. In addition to the web site's functionality, the same Exhibitor information will be in your registration materials and there will be kiosks available on site.
• In addition to attending the Expo Reception, plan to spend some time at the Expo at other times to meet with the vendors you really want to spend some time talking with. The Expo Reception is fun and the energy in the room is contagious but it can be tough to get extended one-on-one time with a vendor during the Expo Reception because so many people are at the Expo at the same time. So, I use the Expo Reception to browse through all of the booths to see if something catches my eye but I go to the Expo at other times to meet the vendors I identified when planning. I try to spend some time in the Expo on Sunday when I am fresh and there aren't quite so many other opportunities vying for my time.
• I always wear comfortable shoes and I try to travel light when I go to the Expo. The Exhibit hall is large so there is lots of walking and standing. When practical, I try not to be carrying anything heavy or bulky; you will want your hands free to shake hands, accept tchotchkes, and partake in the excellent food and beverage choices!
• Pay attention to the visual indicators on the booths that indicate the Dynamics products the exhibitor works with. I don't limit myself to only visiting the booths that work with products my organization uses, but I do approach the booths differently. When I visit an exhibitor who works with other products, I am truly "just browsing" so I am more aware of what is taking place in the marketplace as a whole. When I meet with an exhibitor who works with a product we use, I am trying to evaluate whether this vendor's products or services are applicable to our organization and merit a more in depth evaluation.
• I use the Expo to see a high level overview of a product to help determine if an in-depth demonstration is warranted but I try to avoid attending in-depth demos at Convergence because there are so many things I can only do at Convergence that I don't want to commit a lot of time to something I can do outside of Convergence.
• Don't forget to network with your peers at the Expo Experience in addition to the exhibitors. Attendees who are visiting the same booth as you are may have similar interests. So, don't forget to take business cards.

The Expo Experience is one of the highlights of Convergence and is one of the many valuable takeaways.  I hope some of these tips help you enjoy the Expo as much as I do.

See you in Houston!

Linda Reno, Hitachi Medical Systems America and member of the Convergence Customer Advisory Board