4 Steps to Making the Most of Pharmacy Trade Shows

The summer months can be associated with many different things. Beach vacations, fairs & festivals, camping trips. But for us at RMS, there’s always one more consideration. Summer is synonymous with tradeshow season. That magical time of year when our sales team is on the road, attending the major pharmacy industry shows and conferences. 

Now of course, travel can be stressful, especially when you’re home for just a few days and back on the road the next. Airport stress aside though, tradeshow season is pretty great. Our team gets a chance to visit with so many existing RMS customers. We love seeing our customers in person and catching up with the latest news. And we definitely enjoy the opportunity to meet new pharmacy owners and managers and show them how RMS can help their pharmacy grow. 

But even for RMS, as a vendor with a pretty set schedule, these shows can be a whirlwind. For customer attendees, who have to pack in time on the show floor with CE classes, meetings and scheduled dinner and entertainment, I can only imagine. In order to get the most out of whichever pharmacy trade show you are attending this season, you need to take some time to prepare. To know what you’re looking for and when you’re going to look for it. Here are 5 steps to help you make the most of this years pharmacy industry shows. 

1) Think about what you want to accomplish this year. This is a great time to go back to those goals you created at the beginning of the year, and hopefully re-evaluated just a few short weeks ago. Are you at the point where you need help to meet those goals? 

2) Make a “must see” list. Once you know what pain points and issues you are trying to solve, list out what vendor categories you really need to go visit. Then narrow it even further and figure out which specific vendors you’ll be visiting. 

3) Put together a list of questions. It’s really easy to get distracted from your goal with all the great stuff vendors bring to tradeshows. Discovering something new is awesome, but if you have a problem you’re really trying to solve, make sure you keep it in mind. If you’re looking for point-of-sale solutions, make sure to pack our handy pharmacy POS buyers guide to help you evaluate the options.

4) Set aside time for the show floor. Yes, you may be able to visit the show floor at your leisure, but if you schedule time, you’re less likely to skip it and miss out. And you’re less likely to feel stressed about missing out on something else while you’re there. 

5) Make time for follow up. A show is a great place to make connections, learn about vendors and products and determine if further conversation is beneficial. So put aside some time in your schedule after you return home for follow up with all of your new contacts. This ensures that you’ll have those important conversations and the time you’ve already invested won’t be wasted.

These quick tips should help you make the most of whatever shows you visit this year. If you’re visiting AmersiourceBergen Ideashare or Cardinal RBC in July, we hope you’ll stop by and say hello.