I started laying out this 5 step plan for attending the EMS Expo here in part one of this article. I finish up the planning here with how to prioritize and schedule our expo to get the most out of the trip. Use these steps along with your list of people, places and things to make sure you don’t miss a thing when you visit the EMS Expo this week.
4 – Priorities at the EMS Expo
Ok, now you’ve made a list of sessions, friends, and new toys you want to see while at the EMS Expo. What’s next? Priorities help sort out the mess and make sure you can get to see the people places and things in the most efficient manner.
First off, don’t let anyone else see the priorities list. It’s kind of like pissing off a friend by telling him that he’s number 14 on your speed dial while your dentist is number 12 (the hygienist is really cute, dude). This list is just for you. Just try to number each category separately from most important to least important. When you’re done, move on to scheduling.
5 – Schedule at the EMS Expo
Finally, you take your three lists, prioritized in some way, and compare it to the schedule. I like to first mark off the top three sessions I want to attend. Sometimes there are two at the same time. Top priority goes first and makes it easy to cross off the list.
I’ll contact my friends and colleagues and see which sessions they’re attending and what time they’ll be in the exhibit hall. I add in some time to get into the exhibit hall at least twice when friends will be there. I also try to meet up for breakfast, lunch or dinner with small groups who might know one another or I think would like to.
Finally, in between visiting friends I make a point to catch up on the toys I want to look at. I pull out my priority list and make sure I hit the booths and toys I really want to see. If they are really busy, make a note to come back later and catch up with them. Always ask for a business card and information on the product and thank the folks in the booth for explaining stuff to you.
One final caveat – keep an eye out for really cool swag (give away items from booth vendors). The good stuff gets snapped up fast. When you see something new and unusual, ask where it came from. This isn’t just for me. I use this stuff as “Daddy went away gifts” for my wife and kids. My wife still raves about an insulated coffee cup I brought back from Baltimore a few years ago. My kids can’t get enough of the stress relief balls shaped like the heart, kidneys, or other interesting shapes.
If you missed part one of this article, check out steps 1-3 of the EMS Expo planning guide here.
But I Can’t Go to the EMS Expo!
Can’t make it this year? My friend, you are in luck! We are going to be video taping interviews, product reviews, and live podcast sessions all three days of the expo and posting them within a few hours right here at EMSExpoLive.com.
You can get live updates in a couple of ways.
Follow any of the EMS Expo Live crew on Twitter – we’ll all be updating our feeds throughout the day and letting our tweets know when our videos are posted. Just search for the hashtag #EMSExpo in twitter.
Become a Fan of our Podcast Facebook pages – video updates will show up there, too.
Follow our podcast blogs for individual and group updates at least once a day!
Check out EMS Expo Live video pages here frequently for the most recent videos and to watch your favorites.
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