Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/370741
Time-Saving Tips Register in advance. Register for The Rental Show now (you'll save money that way too), then go to the "Already Registered" counter at Registration on site in New Orleans. Either bring your express badge confirmation with you – you'll receive one at the time you register, as well as approximately two weeks before the Show – or use the Express Barcode in the Show app. Pick up your badge right away. Registration opens at 10 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 20, and at 7 a.m. daily after that. Pick up your badge the day you arrive or first thing in the morning. Check your badge and tickets before leaving registration. Double-check the information on your badge, as well as the tickets you received to make sure you've signed up for all the events you're planning to attend. NOTE: You will only receive a keynote session ticket with full registration. Plan your trade show agenda in advance. Download The Rental Show app or the floor plan from TheRentalShow.com, or use the map in the January issue of RENTAL MANAGEMENT to see where the booths are you want to visit on the show floor, then create a list of booths you can realistically see in a day. Allow some time to explore booths not on your list also to see what's new. Maximize your show floor time. Get to the trade show right before it opens each day (10 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 23, and 9 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 24–25) so you can get out there and get going. Stay until the floor closes at 5 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, and 1 p.m. on Wednesday. Organize each night. Take time each evening to go through the Show app or your booth list and make sure you covered all you intended. Also review the materials you gathered from exhibitors on the show floor and make notes so you'll remember the details when you get back home. Decide which seminars you'll attend in advance. Those with full registration can attend the seminars on Feb. 22, 24 and 25. Before you leave for New Orleans, read the descriptions here in the Planner, online at TheRentalShow.com or in The Rental Show app before you leave for New Orleans to choose the sessions that will benefit you the most. If you'd like, you can download the seminar handouts ahead of time to bring with you. They also will be distributed on site in New Orleans. (Note: If you'll be attending Events & Tents on Feb. 21, handouts will only be available online.) Arrive early for seminars. Even with the seminar rooms set for the maximum capacity, some sessions are more popular and fill up quickly. Arrive early to be sure you can attend your first choice of sessions. Leave time for networking. Take advantage of opportunities to meet your peers, such as at your Regional Reception or ARA's Celebration at Steamboat Natchez – or even on a shuttle bus ride from your hotel to the convention center or before seminars. You never know where you'll gain a great, profitable idea. 51