Sleep well before the show – Forget the attractions on the strip and focus on picking the brains of the people who you will meet at the convention center. Ron Inkley taught me years (decades?) ago to be an early arrival at all the education sessions and meet people. Ask them about their business and what their best success of 2008 was. Then listen and determine what germ of wisdom you hear can you incorporate into your business. Everyone has at least one good idea in them... your job is to find it, adopt it as your own and adapt it to the uniqueness of your own operation.

Drink lots of water – When you are on the trade show floor, try to stand on the carpeted area when you stop to talk with folks – at the end of the day your back will appreciate it. If your back starts to hurt take and hold deep breaths, this somehow changes the pressure on your spine. Bring breath mints as a courtesy to your fellow PMA members. Drink lots of water, can’t overstate the need to keep hydrated.

Make your meals count – If you meet someone you think is interesting ask them if they are free for lunch or dinner and make it clear you’re thinking each party pays their own. This is true for people who are speaking as well. You would be amazed the number of times speakers eat alone. I had heard this (and know it from personal experience) when I was at a meeting where a VP from Microsoft spoke. I went up after to talk to her and said I was going to lunch, would she like to join me and she was happy (no accounting for some people’s tastes) because she knew nobody at this particular convention. So we ate and she told me PowerPoint ‘secrets’. If you don’t ask, you’ll never know... most people will be pre-committed but not all of them so don’t be shy.

Bring lots of business cards – make sure your email address is on them - bring about 5 times more than you think you need – you can always take the extra home. You will give out more than you think if you are intelligently working the crowd and meeting friends. Also, bring a small note book that fits in your pocket so you can write down what you hear.

Traditionally, the larger the booth, the lower the margin for the reseller – don’t ignore the small booths in the back recesses of the convention center. Look at booths that aren’t real slick or shiny – that’s where the next new thing is likely coming from.

One of the “sleepers” of the convention is the Global Gala Reception on Tuesday night. It's a super value also – cost as little as $29 for qualifying PMA members (max price is $49 for non-members) You can eat there plus hear some sounds and mix/mingle with folks from all over the world. In the past the food has been international as well. Many Yankees didn’t think they could attend because they didn’t have “International” on their badge but this session is really open to everyone. Great value, good fun and superb conversation.

The “A List” event for retailers is the PTN Dealer of The Year Party – Wednesday – 5:30pm to 7:00pm at the Renaissance Hotel – this year honoring Jerry and Rosemary Sullivan of Precision Camera – the presentation is usually at 6:15 – that’s when you hear some of the real story as to what makes these winners so unique. The attendance is usually the who’s who of camera store operators and top manufactures are there too. The free food and drink helps draw the crowd as well.

Here comes a self serving plug - there will be two Idea Exchanges this year – Monday and Tuesday (both are different/unique). You should be able to make at least 7 new acquaintances at each session – people you can you’ll be able to figure out who has similar operations to what you have and how you can share insights with each other. These connections are is very valuable. Plus, you’ll be able to pick up great marketing ideas. Communicate with during the year and meet up with them again next year.

Now – before you leave, read the brochure about all the educational sessions so you can pick the ones where you need the most new ideas. There are great opportunities – don’t be bashful about looking at the framers’ or school photographers’ sessions. Good ideas are where you find them.

PMA has added a superb resource for attendees this year - nobody has the time to investigate every single booth – there’s too much. Imagine having a “staff” to go out and dig for the gems of the show and possibly paying you to listen to their ideas. It will be Thursday, March 5 - "Hot Picks of The Show" starts with a drawing at 1:00 sharp for $1,000 cash. It will feature representatives of the major buying groups around the world showing their best finds of the show. And there will be another $1,000 given away at 2:00 which is the end of this session . . . pretty good reward for showing up to see the hidden gems others have found . . . it will be just before they give away the even bigger cash prizes at the Parting Shot event, so make sure your return flight isn't so early you miss out.