Since I have not had my chance to add to the blog, I figured that I would take a shot at it.  The Hannon Hill sales team has had the chance to visit a couple of conferences the past couple of weeks, EDUCAUSE in Dallas, TX, and HighEdWebDev in Rochester, NY.

We are really happy with the results of each of the conferences.  Both are focused on higher education.  EDUCAUSE is mainly the V.P.s and CIOs from different colleges and universities, whereas HighEdWebDev is more focused with the actual Web Managers that we typically deal with on a daily basis.  It's really great to meet with both groups of attendees.  The best part is being able to actually meet face to face with prospects and clients alike.

We are going to Gitex in Dubai in November.  This is the first conference that Hannon Hill will attend on an international level.  I am sure that you will hear more about this trip on the Hannon Hill blog in the weeks to come.  Needless to say, we’re all really excited, and I expect we’ll have some pictures posted from the trip as well.  We’re still looking for some tips on “what to do” when we are not at the conference.  If you have any ideas, please let us know.

Finally, (to add some substance to my blog) I thought that I would give a top 10 list of ways that vendors make themselves look busy during conferences.  Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of good that comes out of trade shows.  But there’s also a lot of down time, and we vendors really need to poke fun at one another from time to time.  So here is my list (free of charge):

1. Walk fast wherever you go.  The faster you walk means that you are going somewhere that is more important than where the competition is strolling to.
2. If you don’t have a Blackberry or a Treo, get one.  If you are not talking to someone at the conference, do your best to keep all eyes on what appears to be important business that you are closing on your PDA.
3. Same as #2 above, but when you are not checking e-mail on your PDA, try talking on the phone, using a lot of hand gestures. 
4. Idle hands are lazy hands. If you’re not on your phone or emailing from your phone, find something else to hold.  A clipboard will do.
5. Laugh loudly at every joke that is offered.  The louder you laugh, the better the salesman you are.
6. Muss you hair at the end of the day.  The muss-ier the hair, the busier you have been talking to new business.
7. Never let prospects see you eat or drink.  If they see you doing this, they will automatically think you are weak, and you have a bad product offering.
8. Don’t acknowledge the existence of your competition.  If they happen to walk by your booth, and you are not talking to anyone else, pretend you see a bird.
9. During downtime, be sure to organize and re-organize your “swag” and brochures.  If these items are not perfectly organized, it will reflect badly on company work ethic.
10. Never sit down.  Sitting is for wimps.  True story: we were at a conference last year and heard a guy from another company ask for a chair, and his coworker replied, “We don’t sit.”