Congratulations to all the startups chosen for The Hive at TEDMED 2014.
... these could be general business rules, but here's three observations (and future reminders for me) from Day 1 at The Hive at TEDMED 2014
1. If you're here, be present
The usual tradeshow rules apply: the whole point of this event is engagement. Other words & phrases: networking, mixing it up, acknowledgement, cross-pollination.
So that means, for business owners: get out and shake hands, or at least send your most sociable employees and get off the laptop.
2. If people can't figure out what your product does by your name, or a five second glance at your booth, you may have lost the battle
Think of it like speed-dating: people like the subject, are intrigued by how it looks, how you look using the product, or why the hell people are flocking around it... and want to know more. In exchange, they'll give you their most precious commodity: attention.
Pique their curiousity, make your booth interesting, have data on hand (we are an information hungry lot at TEDMED) and models we can play with and be able to back it up to at least the "Why" x 5 times question.
3. Free feedback is good and bad
We're also an opinionated lot. So don't be offended if we ask a lot of questions and throw out "yeah, but..." or "that's so cool! How did you do it?" A great idea and a great entrepreneur has persistence and resilience. Great opportunity to practice those pitches til they are smooooooooth.
That said, it is feedback, which is good, cos from a marketing research point of view, you have immediate contact with partners, patients and providers all under the one roof. It's also "free" in the sense that we're not paying to use the product, just to hear you pitch it. That also lends itself to biases - we haven't used it in the field and to the nth degree that will find all the bugs for you. Change your entire product on our suggestion? Wellllllll..... maybe not.
What do you think? What other advice would you give exhibiting startups at conferences?
Enjoy TEDMED 2014!
... these could be general business rules, but here's three observations (and future reminders for me) from Day 1 at The Hive at TEDMED 2014
1. If you're here, be present
The usual tradeshow rules apply: the whole point of this event is engagement. Other words & phrases: networking, mixing it up, acknowledgement, cross-pollination.
So that means, for business owners: get out and shake hands, or at least send your most sociable employees and get off the laptop.
2. If people can't figure out what your product does by your name, or a five second glance at your booth, you may have lost the battle
Think of it like speed-dating: people like the subject, are intrigued by how it looks, how you look using the product, or why the hell people are flocking around it... and want to know more. In exchange, they'll give you their most precious commodity: attention.
Pique their curiousity, make your booth interesting, have data on hand (we are an information hungry lot at TEDMED) and models we can play with and be able to back it up to at least the "Why" x 5 times question.
3. Free feedback is good and bad
We're also an opinionated lot. So don't be offended if we ask a lot of questions and throw out "yeah, but..." or "that's so cool! How did you do it?" A great idea and a great entrepreneur has persistence and resilience. Great opportunity to practice those pitches til they are smooooooooth.
That said, it is feedback, which is good, cos from a marketing research point of view, you have immediate contact with partners, patients and providers all under the one roof. It's also "free" in the sense that we're not paying to use the product, just to hear you pitch it. That also lends itself to biases - we haven't used it in the field and to the nth degree that will find all the bugs for you. Change your entire product on our suggestion? Wellllllll..... maybe not.
What do you think? What other advice would you give exhibiting startups at conferences?
Enjoy TEDMED 2014!
