If you’re a newbie to trade shows, you will first notice how different they are from your everyday normal office interaction. At the office, you pretty much know who you’ll be bumping into, and what is expected in the way of conversation or a meeting.
At a trade show, people who you don’t know will come up and introduce themselves and you are expected to do the same. While this comes naturally for some, for others it’s an effort, like public speaking.
So how do we break the ice at trade shows? Here a few hints:
- Everyone is from Somewhere. “I don’t believe I saw you here last year, where are you from?” Everyone loves to talk about their home town, and if you’ve been there, you can find immediate common ground, which is what this is all about. Once they sense you are interested in their city, state or country, they’ll be much more conversant.
- Sports. Trite as it may seem, pretty much everyone can conduct a sporting conversation these days and as long as you keep it light, you don’t have to worry about saying something “incorrect.” Case in point:
my barber is a fan of the rival of my team. This has made for great conversation over the years, especially now that both teams are bad. This is just another form of “find out what the person is interested in and talk about that.” - Compliment them. “Excuse me, but that’s the coolest modular booth display I’ve ever seen. Do you mind me asking where you got it?” After they get done telling you, you can extend your hand. Most people will merely require that you show some interest in them to start a conversation.
- If you’re standing in a line for a latte, you can offer an observation to a stranger. “Does the show seem bigger this year, or am I imagining it?” If they answer, you now have a conversation about the show, your mutually shared experience.All this is supposed to be a little haphazard. I’ve had encounters at trade shows where a stranger taps me on the shoulder, accuses me of some awful thing, and then discovers he’s got the wrong guy.
- It’s probably best to stay away from personal stuff, like family, relationships, children, religion, or politics. That’s why we have sports. While your opener might seem forced or unnatural to you, don’t forget, the other person is in the same boat as you and will probably take whatever you say as an invitation to talk. If you’re the kind of person who chats up waiters, bartenders, or janitors, so much the better. The idea is to leave the trade show “all talked out.”
