I have received several e-mails inquiring about my thoughts on how to make the most out of your Imaging USA experience. First and foremost let me say that if you have indeed decided to attend Imaging USA…good for you!!! You will not be sorry. This is an opportunity in your life and business where you will be absorbing so much information that your brain and business goals will be in mass overdrive…in the best way possible. I am excited to be seeing many of you next week in San Antonio. In the meantime, I am going to share with you my own personal advice on how to get the most out of your stay while remaining both cost effective and immensely productive. Laugh at me now. Thank me later. ;-)
1) Arrive the day before. You need ample time to get acquainted with the hotel and convention center.
2) Bring comfy shoes for your daytime events and trade show visits. But of course pack your fancy shoes as well for the night time festivities and parties. Prepare yourself or should I say prepare your feet as you will do a ton of walking. I seriously mean a ton. ;-)
3) Dress warm and comfortably. The ballrooms are often freezing! So, if you prefer to always look super stylish (or super suave if you’re a man) just be sure to carry a jacket along with you to class.
4) Bring a laptop or at least a spiral notebook and pen to take notes. You will not be able to remember all of the key points that are made in between workshops. Jotting down the information as it is given to you is crucial in retaining knowledge, ideas and inspirations.
5) Print off business/address labels and stick them in your bag so that you don’t have waste time repeatedly writing out your information for vendors.
6) Make your schedule NOW! Don’t wait until the day you arrive to make your platform selections. It can become overwhelming. It’s better to write out a daily itinerary that you can refer to in between classes.
7) Print off the discounted restaurant PDF so that you can take advantage of all discounts and freebies at participating restaurants.
8) Pack your own coffee and styrofoam to go coffee cups with lids (like 12 for $2.49 at Wal-Mart)…this will save you a ton of money and time in the mornings. That 7:00 am class is a doozie if you aren’t a morning person and the coffee and snack lines…l-o-n-g and expensive!!!
9) Pack healthy snacks like granola bars, nuts or fruit snacks to eat in between classes to hold you over and keep you going until supper (dinner).
10) Choose your events wisely to save money on food costs! Many of the parties and events actually serve complimentary food and drinks. If you choose your events wisely you can really save some money on your dining expenses. And believe me when I tell you that the dining expenses can quickly put a dent in your budget. Plan wisely. Save money.
11) Work don’t play. Off course there will be ample time to meet up with past friends, create new friendships and network away but work first and socialize second. Just my personal opinion. I look at it like this…if you are going to take the time and bare the expense of a business trip such as this then make the most of it. Go to class every single day…every time slot available. Be present in the moment and turn your brain on sponge mode. There is more to absorb than you can fathom possible! Take advantage of every speaker, every subject, every vendor. This is about furthering your business to the best of your ability.
12) Choose your platforms based on content alone. In other words…don’t necessarily choose a class based on the popularity of a speaker but rather on the content offered as it relates to your personal business goals.
13) On the same note as the suggestion above…don’t choose a platform simply because your friends are going. That will not benefit you in the long run. Again, make decisions based on the betterment of your business. Then meetup with your friends after class.
14) Create a list of decisions that you need to make at the trade show. For example…do you need to choose a new album vendor? Write that down and stick to your plan. Make a decision while you are there. Bringing all of the vendor pamphlets home is overwhelming and it’s likely that you will not remember who is who and what they offered. Take notes and decide while the products are on display for your review.
15) Do take advantage of vendor specials but only if they are necessary and needed at the time. Often trade show vendors run incredible “show only deals” and they are well worth taking advantage of but only if you actually need the products. Otherwise you might have buyers remorse which may affect your overall experience in a negative way.
I hope you found at least one thing in this post useful. I can’t believe that it has already been an entire year since the last incredible event at The Gaylord Opryland Hotel but 2011 in San Antonio is sure to bring the heat!
And just because a post is so boring with no images…here is a recent fun umbrella cake that I made for a baby shower I hosted. You will be meeting the newborn here on the Blog soon!
Thanks soo much for this Dawn, I still feel so overwhelmed about IUSA but am over the moon excited as well!! <3 Cannot wait for all there is to learn and explore!!
The whole idea of Imaging overwhelms me so much I can’t even consider going yet but if I ever do, these tips all sound super helpful! Thanks for being a guide Dawn :)))
Such a fun cake Dawn!!! ;) You have so many talents!!!
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