Expo Survival Tips: Everything you need to last the week

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.

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!