This year, like past Summer School programs, we’ve added free wifi to the ballroom where most of the programs will be. We know you need to keep in touch with your business when out of town, but don’t let multi-tasking trump your potential to learn a few new tricks in marketing, business and technique. Speaking from my own personal experiences, it’s so easy to get sucked into what’s going on “back at the office” when you’re on the road!

At any convention you attend the following points are valid. Even with a smaller program like Summer School, my point about pre-approval with leasing could be appropriate if you’re thinking about buying some major gear through Adorama, this year’s retail sponsor.

The important thing is to take the time to think through the reason you’re attending any program. Think about what you want to get out of it and what’s the priority driving you to attend this event. Last but not least, clear your calendar of anything that will pull your focus away from your goals.

From John Wooden, “If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?”  

1) At every program you attend you should always have a point and shoot in your pocket!  I know most of you are making more money than you need and have huge budgets to create publicity, but for those of you with limited funding – what are you doing to create awareness for your own business?   It’s such a simple concept – get a picture of yourself with somebody at the convention like a speaker, a vendor or even the person sitting next to you at a program.  Next, talk it up – you’re at an international event, learning about new technologies, all of which are going to make you a better photographer than your competitor who stayed home!  Write a short press  release and send it out with a print of you at the conference to your local paper, post it on your blog – in short, put it everywhere it might create more awareness for your role as a photographer.   (Need a template for a press release?)

2) Before you go to any convention, workshop or trade show, check out the sponsors and exhibitors.  Who are the companies who are going to be there?  Get to know their products and how they might fit into your mix to make your life easier, the quality of your images better and your photography stand out.  Then, and this is especially great when you’re at a smaller conference, get to know the staff working the booth.  You’re not just collecting business cards, you’re getting to know the people involved and even more important, letting them get to know you.  

If you’re lucky enough to get some one-0n-one time with a particular vendor, when you get back to your office/studio, send them a short thank-you note for their time with an image of yours – this is about contributing to their network as well.  You never know when a vendor is going to be looking for a new face or a new style of work to represent their products.

3) Keep your Iphone or Blackberry on and check messages frequently.   First, there’s always the possibility that somebody is going to be looking for you at the convention.  Second, your business doesn’t stop just because you’re out of town.  Being on the other side of the planet is no excuse for not getting back to a potential client who’s trying to contact you.

4) Network, network, network! It’s not about collecting business cards it’s about the opportunity to find another brain out there that’s just as frustrated as you are!    Sorry, that assumes you’re all walking around frustrated, but the truth is, new faces and ideas are what help us grow and just collecting a biz card of the person sitting next to you isn’t enough.  But, talking to them about how their business is versus yours, sharing the challenges you’re both experiencing and then drawing from the knowledge you both have will get you through the toughest of times.  

5) Never go to lunch or dinner by yourself!  Okay, I’ve said it dozens of times before – I hold the title for being the ultimate lunch slut, but the greatest ideas seem to come out when you’re eating lunch or dinner!  The best projects I’ve ever been involved in started with concepts scribbled out on cocktail napkins.  If you’re at a conference and you’re staying overnight, never go to dinner by yourself and never go with the same old crowd you always hang out with.  I’m not saying you should abandon your friends, just  bring one new person to dinner with you!  

6) What’s your calling card?  Business cards are great, but one of the best vehicles is a postcard with one or more of your images on it. Joe and JP Elario in the past have had a great 5×7 (or it might even be a bigger) post card they’ve used for mailings with a whole series of wedding images.  I’m not asking you to stand in the aisle and hand them out, but when you’re talking to somebody what a kick to ask be put on their mailing list and hand them a card that shows your work.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, they’ll remember you a whole lot longer because of your images!   .

7) If you need new gear, get yourself approved for leasing before you go to the convention.  I know I’ve said this before, but here’s a way for you to utilize somebody else’s assets without depleting yours. If you need new equipment, then wouldn’t it be great to know exactly what you’ve got to spend before you start drooling?

 8) Check out the educational programs and decide now which ones you want to attend.  Try and always pick at least one program completely out of your element.  Make it something that might help you diversify your business or pick up on a skill set that’s your weakest.  Always get to the program early if you can.  This is a great opportunity to network and often meet the speaker and talk before the program starts.

Going to conventions is about your education as a photographer.  It’s one of the fastest ways to help you grow and expand your network, but it doesn’t do any good if you just stay home, rationalizing that times are tough and you just can’t afford the trip or time out of the office.   I know times are tough, but I’ve said this a few hundred times over the last year:  Just because the media says it’s going to be a bad year doesn’t mean it has to be!  And for those of you who think there’s nothing left for you to learn in imaging and attending a convention is just  a waste of time.  This one is thanks to Harry Truman:

It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts. 

I’ve written a lot about the importance of attending trade shows, conventions and workshops, but right now, it’s the anticipation alone that’s creating this incredible energy.  In fact, I got more done yesterday than all the rest of the days of the week combined.  I was organized and simply went through my check off list of things I needed to get done with the precision of a diamond cutter.

The energy has made me acutely aware of how important it is to have benchmarks throughout the year to look forward to.  It isn’t just about learning what’s going on in the industry, but recharging your battery.  I love living in Akron, but it’s not exactly a hub of activity in photography – but outside of NY and Los Angeles, no place is!

So, the bottom line – if you’re on the fence about your travel schedule and getting to any of the major shows in the next few months, it’s time to get with the program!  You probably don’t realize how much you need to change environments for a few days and just be around your peers and enjoy the mutual passion for imaging.

If you’re stuck on the cost of staying in NYC for the show – check out hotels in New Jersey.  Even staying at the Newark Airport Sheraton ($112 or so a night) and taking a cab into the city at $50-60 puts you ahead of the $300+ a night going rate in Manhattan.  And, if you’re sharing a room with a buddy the cost gets to be more than reasonable!

And in the words of Anna Neagle, an actress who passed away in the 80’s:

“But if we learn to think of it as anticipation, as learning, as growing, if we think of the time we spend waiting for the big things of life as an opportunity instead of a passing of time, what wonderful horizons open out! “

See you in NYC!

1) At every program you attend you should always have a point and shoot in your pocket!  I know most of you are making more money than you need and have huge budgets to create publicity, but for those of you with limited funding – what are you doing to create awareness for your own business?   It’s such a simple concept – get a picture of yourself with somebody at the convention like a speaker, a vendor or even the person sitting next to you at a program.  Next, talk it up – you’re at an international event, learning about new technologies, all of which are going to make you a better photographer than your competitor who stayed home!  Write a short press  release and send it out with a print of you at the conference to your local paper, post it on your blog – in short, put it everywhere it might create more awareness for your role as a photographer.   (Need a template for a press release?)

2) Before you go to any convention, workshop or trade show, check out the sponsors and exhibitors.  Who are the companies who are likely to be there?  Get to know their products and how they might fit into your mix to make your life easier, the quality of your images better and your photography stand out.  Then, and this is especially great when you’re at a smaller conference, get to know the staff working the booth.  You’re not just collecting business cards, you’re getting to know the people involved and even more important, letting them get to know you.  

If you’re lucky enough to get some one-0n-one time with a particular vendor, when you get back to your office/studio, send them a short thank-you note for their time with an image of yours – this is about contributing to their network as well.  You never know when a vendor is going to be looking for a new face or a new style of work to represent their products.

3) Keep your Iphone or Blackberry on and check messages frequently.   First, there’s always the possibility that somebody is going to be looking for you at the convention.  Second, your business doesn’t stop just because you’re out of town.  Being on the other side of the planet is no excuse for not getting back to a potential client who’s trying to contact you.

4) Network, network, network!  It’s not about collecting business cards it’s about the opportunity to find another brain out there that’s just as frustrated as you are!    Sorry, that assumes you’re all walking around frustrated, but the truth is, new faces and ideas are what help us grow and just collecting a biz card of the person sitting next to you isn’t enough.  But, talking to them about how their business is versus yours, sharing the challenges you’re both experiencing and then drawing from the knowledge you both have will get you through the toughest of times.  

5) Never go to lunch or dinner by yourself!  Okay, I’ve said it dozens of times before – I hold the title for being the ultimate lunch slut, but the greatest ideas seem to come out when you’re eating lunch or dinner!  The best projects I’ve ever been involved in started with concepts scribbled out on cocktail napkins.  If you’re at a conference and you’re staying overnight, never go to dinner by yourself and never go with the same old crowd you always hang out with.  I’m not saying you should abandon your friends, just  bring one new person to dinner with you!  

6) What’s your calling card?  Business cards are great, but one of the best vehicles is a postcard with one or more of your images on it. Joe and JP Elario in the past have had a great 5×7 (or it might even be a bigger) post card they’ve used for mailings with a whole series of wedding images.  I’m not asking you to stand in the aisle and hand them out, but when you’re talking to somebody what a kick to ask be put on their mailing list and hand them a card that shows your work.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, they’ll remember you a whole lot longer because of your images!  And, companies like Marathon Press  and WHCC make it so easy to design and order them in large or small quantities.

7) If you need new gear, get yourself approved for leasing before you go to the convention.  I know I’ve said this before, but here’s a way for you to utilize somebody else’s assets without depleting yours.  This is a Photokina year and last month in Germany, most of the major manufacturers introduced new products.  That makes Photo Plus Expo a great opportunity to see these products and consider some new purchases as the prices on previous models start dropping with the new ones being introduced.  If you need new equipment, then wouldn’t it be great to know exactly what you’ve got to spend before you start drooling?

 8) Check out the educational programs and decide now which ones you want to attend.  Try and always pick at least one program completely out of your element.  Make it something that might help you diversify your business or pick up on a skill set that’s your weakest.  Always get to the program early if you can.  This is a great opportunity to network and often meet the speaker and talk before the program starts.

Going to conventions is about your education as a photographer.  It’s one of the fastest ways to help you grow and expand your network, but it doesn’t do any good if you just stay home, rationalizing that times are tough and you just can’t afford the trip or time out of the office.   I know times are tough, but I’ve said this a few hundred times over the last year:  Just because the media says it’s going to be a bad year doesn’t mean it has to be!  And for those of you who think there’s nothing left for you to learn in imaging and attending a convention is just  a waste of time.  This one is thanks to Harry Truman:

It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts. 

See you in New York at GoingPro Bootcamp or PhotoPlus Expo.   Safe travels!

Here’s the newest addition to the collection.  Joe Elario, sent me a small canvas print for Christmas and we loved it, but here’s the background.  Joe and I met a long long (notice the use of double “longs”) time ago at PhotoPlus Expo in New York.  Every year he’d come by the Hasselblad booth and we’d talk.  A great friendship came out of those annual visits and pretty soon we started catching up at other shows, getting out to dinner and coming up in March I’ll be there to watch his son, JP, also an outstanding photographer, get married.

Meanwhile, back to the print – it’s beautiful small, but I wanted it large.  Only in photography can you not insult somebody by saying, “I love your gift, but would you mind sending the file to me so I can redo it!”   We sent the file over to Drew at Simply Canvas and took it to 24×48 for over the fireplace. 

The quality is outstanding.   For those of you who love prints on canvas, rather than the black edging that Joe’s original print had, Drew mirrored the image around the edges.   He added so much more to the impact by taking away the distraction of a black border.

The next time you’re working with a client and looking for that one image worthy to enlarge, first think about your options and consider a canvas print.  Second, think about the value of that photograph to your client.  The value can’t be measured in dollars, but the emotions and the memories it brings back.  Stay focused on how to sell the “heart” of your work and you’ll close the sale every time!