Filed under: Macworld, Odds and ends, Apple
Expo Survival Tips: Everything you need to last the week
Shawn King, famed host of the Your Mac Life podcast, is a Macworld veteran (much unlike myself). Battle-hardened by plenty of visits to Moscone, including his wedding there in 2006, it's fair to say he knows how to survive the on-slaught on the Expo and Conference.It's also fair to say that he makes an ideal author for some Expo Survival Tips - something that he's just published in the Macworld Ning group. Common sense items such as "wear comfortable shoes" may seem obvious points, but it's wise advice nonetheless. Others, such as 'Can I attend the Keynote', may be a little more pressing to Macworld new-comers. One other tip I'd add to the list would be that an iPhone-compatible booth map, such as the one soon-to-arrive from author Dori Smith, might make planning your day just a little more paperless and hassle-free.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Frank said 6:39PM on 1-03-2008
as an attendee for most of the past decade or so (not going this year, though, boo hoo), i'll offer one tip he didn't give:
many booths have giveaway drawings, and you have to fill out a short form to enter -- usually with just your name, address and phone number. to save time, bring a sheet of labels with that info on it AS WELL AS your business cards. some places will take business cards, some won't. bringing a sheet of labels will save you having to experience lots of writer's cramp, and the people running the booth appreciate seeing something they can actually read. :)
and i'll second the tip about wearing very comfortable shoes, too. that floor is murder after 3+ days of walking on it!
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Shawn King said 9:23AM on 1-04-2008
Good point Frank and I've included it in a follow up post! I would amend it by pointing out that a lot of booths' will ask for your actual Expo Badge and swipe - if you look on the back, that badge as the same kind of strip as your credit card and carries all your Expo registration info.
That having been said (and it's too late for most of you), keep in mind, many companies will capture that information and for months (or years!) after Expo, you will get "marketing materials" from those companies. Some companies may even sell your information to complete strangers and you may end up increasing the amount of spam you get.
Best idea is, if you can, use a "throwaway" email address when you register for *any* conference. That way, if the deluge of "marketing materials" becomes too much, you can simply ignore the email address.
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Frank said 9:40AM on 1-04-2008
true, true, shawn. i neglected to mention that. but then again, all those companies that swipe your badge also (in my experience) promptly remove you from their email lists if you ask. i usually never let a company swipe my badge unless i'm interested in their stuff, any way.