If you still fly in blind to trade shows, you already lost. This is my 10-minute pre-show plan.

I learned this the hard way. I have done shows for telecom, UCaaS, CCaaS, and now AI voice.When I “just showed up,” I came home with sore feet, a big bill, and not much else. Now I spend 10 quiet minutes the day before.I open the exhibitor list and speaker list. I pick 10 companies and 5 people. Buyers, partners, platforms.I write their names and booth numbers in one simple note on my phone.Then I give each person a clear reason to talk with me .Not a sales pitch.One line where our worlds connect. Maybe they sell into my market.Maybe they build tech my AI agents need.Maybe we just share a friend. This makes “hello” easy. I also plan for my own brain.I have also more recently made a list of people and companies to avoid.The ones who are likely to embellish a feature or ability too much.You know the type, best to avoid them then confront and hear a nice gas lighting speech of selective history modification.Trade shows are loud and bright and never stop.So I block two short breaks to step outside, drink water, and reset.At night, I send short, simple follow-up notes while the talks are still fresh in my head.Last, I ask myself what really worked.Which booths turned into real calls.Which talks gave me ideas for Networking Solutions,StratusDialorUponAI.Which meetings felt like the start of something big.That answer becomes the plan for the next show or for future additions or subtractions.What part of this simple plan would help you most before you walk onto the show floor?