Vendors to harness 'Las Vegas energy'

LAS VEGAS - Las Vegas is the perfect venue for Medtrade Spring because its quick-paced vibe has a positively infectious effect on the show, exhibitors say.

“It has a different energy—a Vegas energy—that adds to attendee expectations,” says Mary Nicholas, executive director for the Waterloo, Iowa-based Healthcare Quality Association on Accreditation.

Medtrade Spring is a short show, running from Feb. 29-March 2 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Even so, short doesn't necessarily mean quick, as exhibitors value the quality time it affords them with their customers, Nicholas said.

“We definitely have more opportunity for dialogue with the attendees,” she said. “We can meet with folks who are interested in HQAA accreditation, as well as seeing our current customers, listening to the challenges they face and discussing how we can provide extra support for their accreditation efforts.”

For Christopher Dobiesz, president of Davison, Mich.-based Universal Software Solutions, Medtrade Spring provides “a common location for prospective customers to review our products and services, talk with us about their challenges and goals, and most importantly, compare us with our
competitors.”

And while the show moves swiftly, Dobiesz says there is plenty of time to develop relationships at the booth.

“We don't try to turn these encounters into any kind of fast, high-pressure sales designed to meet some quota, but rather a chance to develop a relationship,” he said. “We believe that a buying and selling decision has to be mutual. It is because of this core value that really drives us to understand the potential customer's needs and requirements first. Our approach is to not waste the customer's time trying to do any kind of rushed demonstration to close a sale.”

Meeting visitors at the booth is certainly important, says Carrie Green, marketing manager for the Owings Mills, Md.-based Board of Certification/Accreditation, but she adds that Medtrade Spring also affords other opportunities, as well. For instance, she says it's a great venue for presenting their Certified Durable Medical Equipment certification workshop and exam.

“There are two advantages to taking the workshop and exam at Medtrade Spring—the newly learned information is still top of mind and attendees who take the exam at the show receive a 50% discount on the cost,” she said.