How Do Savvy ISVs Prepare for Trade Shows?

The RSPA Niche & Startup ISV Community helps software developer executives meet and network with fellow RSPA ISV members in a vendor-neutral setting. To join or sponsor the RSPA Niche & Startup ISV Community, email Membership@GoRSPA.org.

By: RSPA Niche & Startup ISV Community

At a recent RSPA Niche & Startup ISV Community meeting, software executives shared best practices for preparing for industry shows like RetailNOW, outlined their event schedules, and revealed their post-show lead management strategies.

  • Book your hotel and flights early – For Las Vegas, you definitely want to book early because flights are much less expensive in advance.  
  • Prepare your booth design early – Get your booth design nailed down fairly quickly so that you have time to make corrections under no restrictions. 
  • Mock up the booth design. Give yourself plenty of time to print out the draft, review them, hate them, and redo them.  
  • Refer to the RSPA team for guidance – The Member Services Team will answer any questions you may have about the show. Or they’ll get you to the right person. There is no need for you to try to figure it out on your own. 
  • Do your research – We have our team reach out to key contacts to see who’s going to the show and who isn’t. 
  • Warm introductions from the RSPA team – We’re doing a lot more pre-show work because we do have a reseller network that’s growing as a result of our involvement in the RSPA. 
  • Be creative and develop a business plan – Most of us already have a business plan and we’re looking for the right vendor partner, distribution partner, or the right terminal manufacturer.
  • The beauty of shows like RetailNOW is that you could walk in with a thought for a new POS system in a niche market, you could find every single resource you need there, and you walk out with a business plan.
  • Assess your business cards – Consult your marketing team so they can help update business cards for all attending employees. Out-of-date business cards make your business look unprepared.
  • Plan out your full conference itinerary – Make sure to prioritize non-expo hall time, too. Review the agenda to select which education sessions you want to attend. 
  • Meet with current partners – RetailNOW is an affordable opportunity to connect with a whole bunch of your partners instead of having to go visit them all around the country. 
  • We research who’s going to be there, and make sure we’re scheduling time to meet with current partners and take care of them. 
  • Prepare a process for post-show follow up – Certain people we meet at shows we know we will want to make a follow-up call to. Our team will divvy up our lists and we’ll make personal follow-up phone calls after the show. 

The key takeaway for ISVs is to plan in advance to fully capitalize on networking opportunities at RetailNOW and other big trade shows. The RSPA will return to Las Vegas for RetailNOW 2025, July 27-29 at Ceasar’s Palace.