I’ve been attending conferences and trade shows for years, and I’m completely sold on the notion that a successful show—from both an exhibitor and attendee standpoint—happens as a result of the work you choose to do beforehand. As I wrote back on the 26th of April, I’m headed to Las Vegas next month—along with a bunch of Doba staffers—to attend eBay Live! 2006. In addition to participating on a fantastic panel discussion about product sourcing, and meeting with some of my company’s top vendors, I’ll be splitting time between two exhibit booths that Doba has reserved in what eBay calls its Solutions Center Expo Hall.

At Doba, we start to plan for conferences and trade shows like eBay Live! three to six months in advance of the show itself. From identifying specific staff members who will attend the show and making sure that their duties and responsibilities will be covered while they’re gone, to selecting booth space and marketing ourselves to conference and trade show attendees beforehand, nothing—and I mean nothing—is left to chance. And while there are hundreds of little tips and tricks that I could share about being successful at a conference or trade show, I’ll say it again… nothing rings more true than this… success from a show happens as a result of the work you choose to do beforehand.

Other tips I’m fond of (and these just a few in no particular order):

Schedule appointments before you get to the show: Most trade shows are appointment-driven. If you want to speak to a decision-maker like myself, you’ll probably need an appointment. Walking into a booth and expecting to speak to the president or director of sales for any length of time will only lead to disappointment. Once you register for a conference or trade show, go to the sponsoring organization’s web site to find out who’s exhibiting. Take time to call each company you’re interested in speaking with, and request an appointment for a specific time during exhibit hall hours. If nothing’s available or if appointments aren’t being granted, attempt to schedule a meeting with your target away from their booth, say over breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Divide & Conquer: All of our employees have specific responsibilities at eBay Live! From staffing one of our two booths to scouting the competition, everyone has a job. One person is even somewhat barred from being in either of our two booths… his only job during eBay Live!: attend workshops and panel discussions, and keep an ear open for trends or techniques that can help our business, AND, listen to the questions attendees are asking to see if there’s a hole in any of our product offerings.

Create a dedicated conference/trade show budget: From a budgetary standpoint, attending a conference or trade show—especially if you’re exhibiting—is no different than any other type of organized business campaign. You must have a budget outlining all of your expenses (including travel, lodging, meals, entertainment, exhibit booth fees, decorators fees, booth and materials storage and shipping fees, nametags, uniforms, Internet connectivity, trash removal, furniture, etc.), along with a target and method for calculating a return on your investment.

Train staff before you get to a show: Assigning staff specific responsibilities at a show is one thing; working with staff beforehand to ensure that they know their show-related roles and responsibilities as well as they know their jobs back at the office, is another. At Doba, we dedicate specific time to train our conference staffers, and again, as with everything else we do when it comes to conferences and trade shows, we leave nothing to chance. That staff member who I mentioned before (the one whose responsibility it will be to attend workshops and panel discussions)… well, myself and Doba’s co-founders will sit down with him beforehand, and together we’ll choose which workshops in particular we want him to attend, as well as others in competing timeslots we ourselves will attend. Knowledge Management is critical during a show like eBay Live!, so we do everything we can beforehand to take advantage of every ounce of information that’s made available to attendees.

I’m always floored when I observe how some companies approach exhibiting at trade shows. From blocking the entrance of a 10’ x 10’ booth with a 6-foot table, to being understaffed or over-dressed for the setting, some companies would be better off if they just stayed home and instead mailed a 6�? x 9�? postcard to each of the show’s attendees. That way, no one would be able to put a face to a company, product, or service that’s been poorly displayed in front of thousands of potential customers.

I’ll share some additional conference and trade show tips, tricks, and warnings next week. In the meantime, I fully acknowledge that not one of them is revolutionary (it’s pretty much commonsense type of stuff). Still, if you want to be successful at a conference or trade show, you need to plan your work and work your plan. It’s a cliché, I know, but it truly makes all the difference in the world.