In our digital world, you are probably wondering if trade shows and other industry events are even worth attending. Your hesitation is understandable given the abundance of ways to interact with your clients and partners remotely. Crossing long distances to meet in person thus more and more seems like an unnecessary, costly and time-consuming undertaking.
It is certainly great that technology gives us the possibility to be more effective and accomplish more things in less time without any need to get up from your desk. As a tech company being involved in digitization of business operations we encourage to let the technology do the hardest work for you and use it wherever possible to cut costs and save time.
On the other hand, it is surprising how many entrepreneurs still say that they won’t sign any paper without meeting with the supplier in person. It means there is still considerable power in direct face-to-face communication. Having considered all cons and pros we have selected 5 ways which can help you benefit the most from attending industry events:
Use the power of a handshake
Face-to-face meetings have become such a rare occasion. Why not use it as a means to stay ahead of your competitors? In some cases, it could be the best way to enter the customer’s radar and even close a deal.
Establish a bridge to your customer
Use networking to find out what people are behind their titles and company names and build a real connection with them. What are the goals, desires, pains, problems and challenges of your customer?
Learn something new
Attend seminars and workshops to learn about new practical and strategic solutions and boost your professional skills in a short period of time.
Meet your competition
Get to know better your competitors and latest industry trends, including cutting-edge technologies.
Get some new ideas
Generate fresh ideas for delivering your product as well as ways to strengthen your position on the market. As you can see, an industry event forms a highly-concentrated environment of opportunities. You just need to be smart about selecting the right one for you and be open-minded enough to make the most of it. If you think you have all that it takes to benefit from attending a trade show or a conference, here we have prepared a list of upcoming e-commerce events for 2017 held worldwide:
Barcelona, Spain 12-14 June 2017 Global e-Commerce Summit 2017
"This year’s Global e-Commerce Summit promises to take participants on a journey from the possible to the actionable, which explores how developing technologies, policies and business models meet consumer expectations that shape the future of digital commerce."
London, UK, 15 June 2017 IMRG Managing Peak Connect Conference
"This conference will look in detail at everything we know so far, identifying the ever-evolving character of Black Friday and helping you build a strategy for securing your share of spend during the busiest time of year."
London, UK 20 - 22 June 2017 eTail Europe 2017
"The Event For e-Commerce & Multi-Channel Retail Innovators."
Berlin, Germany, June 27-28, 2017 Deliver #2
“The European rendezvous for e-logistics” is a German ecommerce event with an interesting program at a even more interesting venue. In two days, over 450 ecommerce leaders, 150 suppliers and startups, 50 investors and 50 media professionals will learn more about logistics in the ecommerce industry.
London, UK 11 July 2017 e-Tailing Summit 2017
"Specifically designed for ecommerce and digital managers from online retailers to find inspirational ideas and gain up to date knowledge from leading solution providers."
Madrid, Spain 24 - 26 July 2017 ICETE 2017
"14th International joint conference on e-business and telecommunications."
Mexico City, Mexico 4 - 5 October 2017 Ecommerce Summit & Expo 2017
"The ideal meeting point for the ecommerce community in Mexico."
London, UK 17 October 2017 Lifecycle 2017
"Lifecycle17 brings together an amazing community of over two hundred ecommerce marketers to learn about the latest in customer retention from the most innovative brands in the industry.
Hong Kong, 17 - 19 October 2017 Global Sources Summit
"A conference for online and Amazon sellers importing from China under their own Private Label."
Seattle, US, 18 - 20 October 2017 WooCommerce Developers Conference
"For storeowners, WordPress developers & e-Commerce experts interested in mastering the art of WooCommerce."
