I have a new appreciation for what the exhibitors go through in our MGMA meeting vendor hall after spending a 3-day weekend in a booth at the Alaska Women's Show here in Anchorage, promoting our medical practice. I've gone from periods of boredom to periods of frantic activity. I'm exhausted. It was a lot of fun though, and we talked to a lot of people who could use our orthopedic help. Here's my Top 10 of things I learned this weekend:
- Chocolate is more popular than Starbursts.
- You don't need 4000 brochures. 500 would be sufficient.
- When you're renting equipment for your booth be sure to get chairs!
- Take lots of stuff to drink and be sure to take snacks, too, or you will eat a lot of the candy that's supposed to be for passers-by.
- Dress comfortably and wear good shoes.
- Be prepared for drop-ins from your competitors. If you don't see them you'll probably see their spouses or employees!
- Internet access is good. I was able to pull up our EMR when one of our own patients stopped by, or make appointments if people wanted to set something up right then. Very cool. Plus if you get bored you can check your e-mail....
- Make sure your different handouts look different. I standardized the look of my 4 brochures except for the title, thinking that it looked good that way. But people didn't realize that they were differnt and it was kind of a pain.
- If you're going to attend the show as a visitor, Friday is a good day. Saturday and Sunday were packed!
- Having the doctor himself at the booth to chat with people and answer questions is absolutely invaluable. I have a pretty unique doc who was very happy to sit with me and talk to people about what we do. People like to see the doctor himself. I think it shows commitment that he didn't just pawn it off on me.
And that is what I've learned this weekend!