3 things you must do if you're exhibiting at the ADA Annual Session in San Francisco

I have to admit, you surprised me. I thought my interviews with the American Dental Association and the industry response would be far and away the most popular articles in last issue of Proofs e-newsletter. But nope, the most popular article in the last issue was my editor’s note where I shared my thoughts on the ADA sites through 2018 and your response. I was surprised. I was humbled. I truly appreciate you reading my opinion on what I believe is one of the most important topics in today’s dental industry – the direction of dental trade shows and how you and your company will adapt to the changing landscape.

I’ll be in San Francisco for the upcoming ADA Annual Session. A majority of Proofs readers will be in San Francisco as well. With that in mind, I thought I’d share three things I hope you’ll do during exhibit hours at the Moscone Center.

1. Make the most of your time — Exhibit hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for three days. That’s eight hours each day for a total of 24 hours you will be spending on the show floor. Sure, there will be some down time when you’ll check e-mail or Facebook or return phone calls, but what about the rest of the time? What have you done to ensure you’re “on top of your game” at your booth? Are you familiar with everything there is to know about your new products (and why they’re better than your competitor’s?). Do you have your “elevator speech” ready in case you have only a short time with a potential customer?

2. Know the competition — I have a friend who is a “Mr. Know It All.” You know him, right? He’s that guy who will say the sky is a different shade of blue than you say just because he wants to share his opinion. He’s that guy who will point out flaws in other people just so it makes him look better, even if he’s never met the other person. Yeah, he’s a real joy to be around. Well … are you telling people that your company’s product is better just because you think it’s better? If your company wasn’t signing your paycheck, would you really think your product was better? How does it really compare to the competition? If your company didn’t employ you, what would sway you over to using your product over the competitor’s product? To answer that question, you have to know your competitor’s product as well as you know your own. Do you have that knowledge or do you just think the competition stinks because it’s the competition?

3. Focus on the customers who are there, not the ones who aren’t — As I said in my last editor’s note, we all have to make a conscious decision about trade shows. Either dental exhibitors are going to go where the ADA says, or they aren’t. If you and your company decide to exhibit at an ADA annual session, that’s a conscious decision you have made to spend money and resources. That being said, make the most of your opportunity to interact with current and potential customers. It is time much better spent than standing around griping about why floor traffic is slow.

The countdown is officially on for San Francisco. For our industry’s sake, I hope it’s a great show. Let’s all do our part to make it happen.

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