Inside Self-Storage Magazine 10/2001: Getting The Most out of Self-Storage Expos

Getting The Most out of Self-Storage Expos

By David Wilhite

If your self-storage operation is successful beyond your wildestdreams and you're absolutely rolling in money, feel free to skip this articleand head out to the golf course. If, however, you're still working on your firstmillion and looking for new ways to help cut your costs, stimulate new rentalsand increase your profits, here's a worthwhile suggestion: plan to attend one ofthe upcoming self-storage industry tradeshows.

To paraphrase an old Zen master, "To a tradeshow you must journey, ifsuccess is what you seek." Few self-storage owners I know would disagree.For those individuals looking to get that extra edge in this industry,tradeshows, expos and fairs provide a forum for information exchange that isguaranteed to help improve your bottom line. In fact, one extremely successfulself-storage owner I know told me his attendance at an industry tradeshowresulted in one of the most profitable ideas he ever had, and his business planprovides for participation in a variety of regional and national tradeshows eachyear. For the rest of us, attending one major show each year should suffice.

An Educational Experience

For those of you who have never had the experience, attending your firstindustry tradeshow can be a revelation. There, under one roof, is everything youneed to know about owning and operating a self-storage facility, includingfirsthand advice and information from successful facility owners and managers.Most tradeshows offer a wide variety of seminars and workshops hosted byindustry experts and focus on topics of interest and concern.

These workshops typically cover such topics as buying and selling aself-storage facility, investing and financing, management and marketing, andconstruction and security, etc. In addition to the seminars and workshops,you'll have the opportunity to participate in roundtable discussions, chat withvendors in the exhibit hall and network with other self-storage professionals.

Strategies for the Successful Show-Goer

Since your time at a tradeshow will be at a premium, it's important to arrivewith a game plan. Actually, you should begin your plan well in advance of theshow date. Be sure your show registration, hotel reservation and flightarrangements, if any, are confirmed well beforehand. Once you arrive and receiveyour attendee packet, head for the lounge, grab a cup of coffee, and take sometime to read through the program book. Your first task will be to choose theseminars and workshops that meet your needs. You might also want to make a listof alternatives, as one or more seminars may be filled to capacity by the timeyou arrive.

Your next task is to schedule two or more visits to the exhibit hall. This isone of the most interesting and valuable benefits you will receive as a show-goer,as it presents the opportunity to learn about the latest products and servicesin the industry. I recommend scheduling multiple visits to the exhibit hall fora couple of reasons: First, there is usually so much to see and learn, you mayrun out of time or become too tired to experience it all at once. Second, keyexhibit personnel may be away from their booths or visiting with other attendeesduring your first visit, so you may want to return at a later time to meet themand get information about their various products and services.

To further maximize the value of your time in the exhibit hall, it's a goodidea to make a quick run through the exhibit area with the exhibitor's guide andmark off each display you want to visit at length. Then you can return and spendas much time as necessary with exhibitors you most want to meet. You might alsoconsider arranging appointments with the key exhibitors on your list. This willensure you get the information--and attention--you need.

As a final exhibit-hall strategy, try to collect as many brochures andhandouts of interest to read at home later. If for any reason you don't get abusiness card from a vendor, be sure to note his name and address on theappropriate handout materials and save it for your files. Such industry contactscan prove invaluable later.

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