I recently attended-thanks to HR.com-a large annual trade show called the Federal Office Systems Exposition (FOSE) in Washington, DC. See my accompanying article ("Federal Investigation") at HR.com for my review of this event from an organizational development
perspective.

If you get the chance to attend such a show-whether federally focused or otherwise-do so. You meet and talk
to exhibitors representing large and small organizations whose advertisements you see in trade magazines and online. You meet and hear book authors whose autographs you can get. You see faces of people you talk to on the phone or with whom you correspond by
e-mail and IMs for years and finally get to meet in person at the show. You have a chance to exchange business cards and contact information to re-connect at a later date for future career or business pursuits.  Sometimes a door opens for you just from conversation
in the lounge area after the trade show ends for the day...a door you did not previously know existed.

   And did I mention the goodies? Go ahead. Admit it.  You walk the aisles of an expo and determine whether you will make eye contact with the person staffing the booth only after you scan their table for the promotional item they display. I´m a promo peeker myself, especially at large venues such as FOSE. (Hey! I just coined a term.) Never leave home without a tote bag or backpack with wheels.

   This entry is short because you´ll find my notes on FOSE in the article "Federal Investigation" that I wrote exclusively for HR.com. If the article is no longer active (currently listed) in this area, search for the title in the HR.com search box. And for all you want to know about FOSE and all you didn´t know there was to know, go to the FOSE website at http://www.FOSE.com.
Sylvia