Navigating Trade Shows as Women in Manufacturing

As part of our Learning Circle series, Amber Miller of PMMI Media Group hosts a special Packaging & Processing Women’s Leadership Network conversation on how women in manufacturing can get the most out of trade shows. The discussion covers preparation, confident networking, and impactful follow-up, offering practical tips to boost ROI and build lasting connections.

Amber Miller: I'm Amber Miller, director of marketing at PMMI Media Group and a member of the Packaging & Processing Women's Leadership Network. As a part of our ongoing learning circle series, today we're talking about navigating the trade show experience for women in manufacturing. We'll explore how to prepare for, engage in, and follow up when attending a trade show. Today, I'm joined by Laura Thompson, VP of Trade Shows at PMMI, Charlotte Ashcraft, Packaging and Graphics Development manager at Just Born Quality Confections, and Elise Wright, VP of Marketing and Business Development at Ska Fabricating. So, from an attendee perspective, what steps can you take before attending a trade show to maximize your ROI, both mentally and logistically, so you feel confident and supported from day one?

Charlotte Ashcraft: Yeah. So, for me as an attendee, it starts well before I set foot on the show floor. I like to align my internal teams. So I'll set up internal meetings, especially with anyone who's attending with me at the trade show. But anyone who's not coming, so typically, for a show like PACK EXPO, we will not have marketing or procurement there with us, but we will have engineering. So we'll get together with the internal teams and make sure that we're all aligned on the strategic priorities or understand which projects are really what we're there to take a look at. So I make sure I'm not just there for myself but also bringing value back to my organization. Once I understand what I'm really there to look at, what my priorities are, I'll set up my actual agenda for the show. So I'll flag any key sessions. I'll flag anything that I really want to sit in on. I'll flag any must-visit booths. So whether it's just a curiosity or someone that I'm already working with, and if needed, I'll set up a meeting. And then, once I have my more structured agenda, I'll filter in how I'll walk the trade show floor from there. So that really helps me prepare logistically. Mentally it's I treat it like a marathon, not necessarily a sprint. So definitely planning multiple pairs of sneakers, but also making sure that I have set times for breaks too. So I think my very first trade show really made it a sprint and not a marathon, and I think just especially giving myself the mental permission to stop when I need breaks and take a breath and have a few moments for myself really sets me up for success and carrying on the rest of the day.

Laura Thompson: I think Charlotte saying to approach it as a marathon is huge. We do recommend pre-show planning. There are a ton of resources that we have available at PACK EXPO, and I know a lot of other large shows do. You can go online, search exhibitors, and we have a mobile app. There are resources that we have that you can even schedule a consultation pre-show so you can speak to an expert and learn a little bit about where to even start. The attendees at the show range from small people trying to just scale up their operation to larger companies and attendees that have been in the business for a long time. So, as a show, we try to make sure we have the resources available to cover it for everyone. But as you are planning, know it's a big show, and as Charlotte said, you have to make sure you're not over-scheduling. Allow time for discovery because, a lot of times, you don't know what you don't know, and I hear so many people attending the show that say, "I had no idea I needed this, or this solution for this industry is applicable to mine." And one of the great things about all of these exhibitors at the show is they're willing to have those conversations with you, and they all talk to each other as well. So even if you go up to a booth and they may not necessarily be able to help you with what you need, they'll say, "Oh, I know so-and-so who might be able to help you." Just make sure you're doing a lot of the pre-show stuff so that when you do arrive on site, you're not overwhelmed, and you at least have a place to start.

Amber Miller: It's great to have all the resources on site from the PMMI team. All right. Elise, going back to the exhibitor side, do you have some go-to tips for effective networking and building authentic connections with confidence?

Elise Wright: I think if I had to share one go-to tip for networking and making real connections, it's really leaning into your curiosity. And networking is not transactional. Taking the time to get to know another person and being genuely curious about what hey do, their work, and that curiosity mindset really just helps to build connections that last so far beyond the event. And I remember one time it was my first PMMI, the PPWLN Breakfast. I walked into the room, really not knowing what to expect, and I sat down at one of the tables, and there were probably eight women at my table, and just started making introductions. And I was sitting next to a CEO of a major company and then three engineering students sitting across from me, and then someone else in marketing, and just the conversation that we had with just so many different lenses and perspectives and it was just something that's really stuck with me about just this web and just how many different conversations and where do we all come from and where does it lead. So I think that was a really inspiring networking moment for me. But I think on the show floor too, as an exhibitor, I think just listening, again, leaning in with that listening ear and pulling on those threads where you're hearing what people's experiences have been, and I think that's what really makes connections that last. And maybe they turn into a sail down the line, but it's really more about forming that relationship.

Amber Miller: Yeah, definitely. We'll now go into our after-the-show strategies. I'll start with Elise. How do you follow up after the show in a way that keeps the momentum going? Turning contacts into conversations and ideas into action, it's a lot for attendees to consume throughout the show, so how do you cut through that noise?

Elise Wright: Yeah, after the show itself is over, life continues on, and people are just as busy as they were before, if not more. Inboxes are totally full. People have been out of the office for days, including yourself, so it's easy to think of follow-up as something that's just like a to-do list item. And I found that it's so important just to shift that thinking from a to-do and to that continuation of relationship building, which takes care and time. And so it's not just about a list of leads or a list of contacts. I think it's so important to just be as strategic with your follow-up as you were with your planning, going back to those initial contact lists, writing thank you notes and reaching out on LinkedIn and using those notes that you took at the show to incorporate different aspects of the conversations that you had while on the show floor as a part of that outreach and just continue to think of it as relationship building, like how do you form relationships and just really taking careful time to nurture those relationships.

Laura Thompson: Yeah, as Elise said, it can be a little overwhelming afterwards. Not only are you trying to catch up on your day job, but you're trying to make sense of everything that happened during the show. As an attendee, you will receive an email after the show with all of the exhibitors who scanned you during the show. So it's great. It's a complete summary of everybody who scanned you with a link to their showroom so you can access their showroom, refresh a little bit, compare it with the notes that you took in your app, of course, and allow you to have a little bit better follow up post-show and share with your team. I know it's not possible to send everyone on your team, so it's a great quick summary, "Hey, here's the people I talked to. Take a look. Let me know if any of this is of interest." And then, from the exhibitor side, they also, when you do scan an attendee, you can make notes. And I do think it's important that when you're reaching out to attendees, you do make those meaningful connections, right? You're following up with some sort of note as to what you guys talked about at the show. And also, on a more personal level, make sure you're sending out those LinkedIn requests for the people you met at the network working events and trying to continue those conversations because you will run into those people at other shows, at other events, and it's a great way just to keep those connections going post-event. But I do recommend you definitely take advantage of the badge scanning. Also, we do send out what we call the second look after the show. Again, it's a targeted list of exhibitors in the product categories you selected. So then I know it's a big show. You may not have hit everybody you wanted to see, or you may have missed someone. So I recommend taking a look at that as just a secondary reference for follow-up after the show.

Amber Miller: So I'll just go down the line for a couple that we can squeeze in here. This one says, "I sometimes have really good conversations with people at networking events, and they'll give me a card, and I'm like, 'Wow, I really [inaudible 00:09:05] these people.' And then a day or two later, whose card goes to what face, and which one had some cool things to say? How do you keep up with who you connect with?"

Elise Wright: I can chime in. As part of my scheduling, I really build in buffer time so that I can reflect on events because it can be so overwhelming, like the number of people that you meet. So, even just something like if it's, for example, the PPWLN Breakfast, and you're sitting at a table with eight people, and you get eight different cards, how are you going to remember? So, giving yourself 10, 15 minutes before you rush back to your booth just to jot down some notes on the back of those cards. I usually carry around a pad of those teeny tiny sticky notes in my bag, and they fit perfectly on the back of a business card. And so I'm able to jot down just a few little notes, and I record where I met that person and just two little lines about the context of our conversation, and any notes regarding outreach, or they want me to call next week to set up an appointment or anything like that. So that's been really helpful for me.

Charlotte Ashcraft: Yeah, very similar to Elise, but I organize myself digitally, so I take a picture of everyone's card, so I don't keep them because I hate coming home from the end of a trade show with a backpack full of cards of conversations I may or may not remember. So, at every break, when I am taking breaks, I'm scanning in those cards, and I'm just jotting down notes in my phone. I usually use a Google Drive, so I'll upload it as a photo to the Google Drive and just keep notes in the section in the Google Drive with every business card, similar to Elise, what we talked about, where I met that person or anything that I really wanted to remember about the conversation.

Laura Thompson: I agree. I like to go digital. I try to find them immediately on LinkedIn and make those connections, so I can do that immediately because I'm the same as the person who asks the question. If I leave it to the end, I'll have no idea who I talked to or what I did. And one thing I do want to add, as far as the show, all shows are different. Ours tends to be a lot busier the first couple of days, and if you really want to have extra time, go later in the show. The exhibitors have more time to talk to you and really engage, or go two days, right? Have your first day where you can do your rapid-fire, walk around the show, figure out what you need, and then have those deeper conversations the next day. Again, I like how Elise said she built in that extra time for follow-up and making those notes. I do think that's so important.

Amber Miller: Yeah, good tip on the last day, and just making time for the couple of days of the show. It can be overwhelming on both sides. All right. Okay. And then question [inaudible 00:11:55] for Laura about the app, so if you could just give some details about the app, how to best use it, specific tips, and then when it will be live.

Laura Thompson: Sure. The app goes live usually about a month or so before the show, but you can do pre-show planning right now on the website. You can create your own personalized plan and it will be downloaded onto the app. So you'll have your curated list of all of the exhibitors that you've favorited on the app. You can make notes. You can see the floor plan. You can also see the entire education schedule. At least at PACK EXPO, there's a very robust education program, and we know that the attendees are busy, so most of them are on the show floor, and all of that can be found on the app. You can search by category, by exhibitor. Basically, all of the same functionality you would see currently on the website is available on that.

Amber Miller: Great. Okay. "How would you recommend being less invisible while on the show floor/attaining information in a booth? I confidently assert myself and seek out sales reps, but there are times when reps are going around me to the next person, even after making eye contact with them."

Charlotte Ashcraft: Yeah, I can take this one on. This has happened to me, especially when I was very early on in my career. But I think body language is about more than just eye contact. Make sure you're positioning yourself within the booth. You're not standing behind a piece of equipment. If you're interested in something specifically, stand next to that, position yourself perhaps in front of an information desk if they have a centralized information desk. Take a step forward if you see that they have made eye contact with you. Start walking towards them and introduce yourself. Shake their hand. If all of that isn't working, maybe try and just come back at a time when the booth is less busy. It might just be that every sales rep who's there has a meeting scheduled back to back, and maybe comes back. Like Elise said, the first day is really busy. Maybe come back when they don't have back-to-back meetings and try to speak with someone then.

Elise Wright: And I also think that the aisle is a really great place to interact with people who might not necessarily be on the way to see you. I've had some really interesting conversations that have just happened in the aisle in front of our booth, and sometimes people stop and ask more, ask more questions, and sometimes people carry on with their day. And it was a pleasant exchange, and I got to meet someone new. So that's something else, too, that you can think about.

Amber Miller: Great. That's great. Another exhibitor question. "We are new exhibitors to PACK EXPO, and I am new to PPWLN. Does PPWLN host any networking events during the show? And if I may, does the panel have any good tips and tricks for building confidence in this very male-dominated industry?" Great question.

Laura Thompson: We do host a breakfast every year at the show, and I highly encourage as a new exhibitor for you to attend that. As I said before, it's a very welcoming group. I guarantee any table you sit down at everybody will talk and engage with you. And as Elise said, I think you said you've made so many great connections at all of these over the years, so I'm sure Charlotte and Elise could add a little bit more to their experiences with this.

Charlotte Ashcraft: Yeah, the breakfast is an amazing place. There's so many people in the room. I think my very first time, I was not anticipating. I didn't even know that there were that many women at the show. And I walked into this huge room, and there were so many women, and I was already overwhelmed, but I just started talking to the person in line next to me for coffee. And then I started talking to the person sitting next to me at breakfast, and we listened to the speaker together. And a lot of us hung around afterwards too, and I ended up just meeting so many people and I stuck around for almost another hour after the breakfast and just networked. So the PPWLN Breakfast is an awesome place.

Amber Miller: So I just wanted to wrap up and thank everybody. It was a great discussion and information sharing. We hope to see you all at the show on the exhibiting and the attending side.