Traveling for business can sometimes seem glamorous and fun – you generally get to travel to fun cities and hopefully have some free time to explore and experience something new – all on someone else’s dime. While this certainly can be the case, it can also be hectic, exhausting and lonely. While I would have to say my business travel is generally a combination of all the above, my last few business trips have been extremely rewarding and have kept me optimistic and energized for my next trip.
I just returned from exhibiting at the USASBE conference in San Antonio, where I shared a booth with Prentice Hall, one of our business partners. This was my first time attending the USASBE conference and I wasn’t really sure what to expect from it. Overall, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The conference was very well attended and as an exhibitor, it was nice to feel as though the attendees were genuinely interested in not only getting to know about our software but also in getting to know a little more about who I am and what I do. It was great to see people I had met at previous conferences, meet new contacts, and put faces with names of those I have only talked with via email and phone. By 11am on the second day (with another full day left!), I had already depleted my supply of brochures, business cards, tchotchkes and Business Plan Pro software. Not bad for being unsure if I would have even two dozen visitors!
Being an exhibitor can certainly be exhausting – long hours of standing and being “on” all day – but it can also be very rewarding. I would have to say the USASBE conference was certainly a rewarding one, and I returned home excited about the opportunities that arose from the conference and already looking forward to next year.
Kristen Langham
Marketing Manager