Judging by spikes in my step count history I've been to approximately 30 trade shows in my four and a half years at TCT Magazine. When you've been to that many you start to ignore signage, you just instinctively know where the quietest bathroom will be, what secret food premises has the best coffee, what part of the hall has the best WiFi reception; it's akin to having a The Knowledge of London cabbie.
This year's TCT Show will be my fifth in succession and what with a couple of MACHs, like Everton and Wembley in the 80s, the NEC is a second home to me, but maybe this is your first visit, maybe you're out of trade show practice. As a result, I've compiled some tips to help you get the best out of our best ever show:
1. Get the train
If you follow me on twitter (that's my pic above) you’ll be fully aware of my favourite mode of transport; forget the traffic jams and parking, come by train. The NEC has its own station and is a 15 minute, frequent connection, away from Birmingham New Street. Better yet there’s a Virgin Trains special offer; if you’re travelling to an event at the NEC and book via thenec.co.uk/visitors/getting-here/ you get 25% off. As Ralf from the Simpson’s once said ‘Choo Choose the train’
2. Plan your days like you would a music festival
With a FREE conferencing programme across three stages there’s bound to be clashes. Keep an eye on tctshow.com/content/programme for timings, which may be subject to change, and prioritise the talks that matter most to you.
3. Get credit where it is due
Thanks to the amazing work from our conference team watching talks and attending workshops at TCT Show our now CPD accredited, the talks are still free and now you get the extra bonus of continued professional development.
4. Contact exhibitors in advance to organise meetings
TCT Show Meetings
TCT Show can get busy, you may not be first in line to talk to a company and you may waste some of your precious time waiting around, most of the exhibitors have contact details listed here, get in touch beforehand.
5. Come off peak
TCT Show
I’ll let you in on a trade show secret, the last few hours of the final day are the quietest, I have spent enough time at shows across the globe to know that this is a fact of life. What it does mean though if you’re around then, exhibitors may have more time to talk to you, you’ll stick in their mind later and you never know they might have some previously rationed freebies to get rid of.
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Exhibit at the UK's definitive and most influential 3D printing and additive manufacturing event, TCT 3Sixty.
6. Be social
With an expected 10,000 + attendance rate there will be plenty of like-minded people to talk to about your specific project, idea or passion. Chat to people at coffee points, at lunch, in the aisles and on social media using the hashtag #TCTShow.
7. Explore the co-located events
Specifically our sister show Interplas, the largest plastics show in the UK. With exhibitors like Covestro, Arburg and Nexeo all entering the 3D tech market in the last few years you never know what’s going on in the hall next door. Perhaps a plastics supplier might be able to help with a specific material properties question? Sensors and Instrumentation plus Micro | Nano | Mems show are also taking place at the same time in the NEC.
