After writing this post for Women 2.0 outlining some of our tips for technology conferences; we thought it was appropriate to follow up with some mistakes from LAUNCH because you can always learn more!
Banner – go big or go home!
We were too conformist with the detailed instructions as sent to us about our display area. The measurements for the area and the warnings about signs were heeded and that was not smart. Most other companies had banners and signs. Lesson: Bring everything, particularly as we fly on the startup-friendly Southwest with two free bags! Worst case scenario: leave anything that does not fit at the hotel.
Bonus tip: plasticized signs on the floor by your booth. The world walks with their heads down, checking out their phones. Why not take advantage of those downcast eyes?
Wear our gear
Our Practice Safe Crowdfundingâ„¢ (PSCF) t-shirts are noticeable and very soft. As a woman I am not keen on wearing the same shirt for multiple days but that should not matter. The day that I wore my PSCF shirt, I ran into Tim Draper in the hall and he remembered me from a conference last year where we gave him the same PSCF shirt (he thought it was very funny then and again at LAUNCH14). We should wear our gear all day, everyday at events.
Stay inside
We had a couple of calls and meetings; some outside the event and that was distracting. And Jill and I were both booked at the same time at different locations! But more importantly, it left our booth, without its banner, empty on a couple occasions. I cringed when several people mentioned our booth was hard to find and that they could not find us. We needed a plan to map out our time and the best use of the exhibition time making sure our booth was not empty during transition times as large groups walked by us.
Overall, this was a successful event with stellar networking. We talked with tons of entrepreneurs about IP, and gathered a few IP mistake stories…more on that later, so stay tuned!
Final tip: Check and double check the area before you leave – computer chargers are expensive!