Thousands of annual trade shows, conferences and conventions are held in the United States each year, spanning the coasts. Apparel and clothing, cosmetics and beauty products, industrial products, business services, hospital and medical, and automotive are a sampling of the industries involved in sharing best practices.

What makes the regular trek for suppliers, investors, government officials, owners, department heads and ‘fans’ worth the time, effort and expense? There are a number of benefits to business and personal growth.

Keeping Up with Industry Trends As new industry tools emerge, developers, manufacturers and suppliers are motivated to demonstrate what they have to offer and end users benefit. Think of the apps prevalent in your industry. How did you first hear about them and experience their value? At a recent event planners’ convention in San Diego, a mini-workshop hosted by a supplier focused on event planning apps and SaaS solutions such as Smartsheet, Wrike, and eShow. The workshop was popular as it highlighted current trends and was practical.

What about customer changes in behavior? Attending a trade show might bring to light how the economy is affecting your industry by changing consumer patterns. Participating will help prepare you to react to a new trend before competitors in your immediate service area. Success often requires anticipation of change and immediate adjustment to a new reality.

Connecting with Industry Leadership Thought leaders attend trade shows and often host mini-conferences or workshops. The tips, tools, and experiences they share can protect you from mistakes. In fact, a trade show is a great place to locate a business mentor because attendees possess applicable interest and experience.

After the conference, regularly use Skype or LinkedIn to connect with your new mentor. Before the next annual gathering, schedule coffee and reconnect for an in-person discussion. Be prepared with specific questions. Over the years the association will deepen and you should sense its value.

A relationship I made over ten years ago at a conference continues to be relevant in helping me grow professionally and personally. And, during that decade, the business and economic environment has changed tremendously. We walked through it somewhat together.

Taking a Break from the Routine Trade shows provide a new rhythm to your day. Depending upon the program, you will have the ability to rest and reflect simply because you are separated from everyday tasks. The new environment, timetable and conversations grant a different perspective. Something simple like access to diverse menus can go a long way in breaking up your routine. The entire environment may spark new commitment to your industry. Imagine leaving with renewed passion and a clear vision.

Conducting a Location Survey Take note of the venue, food, activities, climate, cost of travel, and customer service while attending a trade show. Use it to build a destination and supplier list such as tour bus services, unique locations, local talent, caterers, audio visual providers, and cleaning crews for hosting your own conference or staff retreat. A local youth choir dazzled us at a recent convention. I left confident they would collect multiple performance requests for future events.

Or, maybe you are open to moving your business location. Stay an extra day, tour the city and ask stakeholders about support services available for your industry. Schedule time to meet with city leadership and assess their business-friendliness. Determine if their consumer and business tax structure, private and public services, encourage or hinder business success. The local Chamber of Commerce might be worth a visit, as well.

Experiencing the local economy, evaluating the local education system and workforce, and taking note of the area’s attractiveness to long-term employees are valuable accomplishments informing a decision to relocate.

Have you attended a trade show in the last few years? If not, you might consider what is available and book yourself or a team member. Support systems, consumer response and economic environments change quickly. For the good of your business and personal enrichment, consider making the experience a regular appointment on your calendar.

To assist your new endeavor, here are the top 100 USA Trade Shows.

Sticky notes, cork boards and stacks of paper are often ‘tools’ used to manage important details. Each becomes the go-to method because at first glance they seem easy and effective, even in marketing departments where project details are abundant.

The default options are risky for a number of reasons, however. While sticky notes are useful in brainstorming sessions, they are overwhelming when used to manage a project. It is not uncommon for a single, small marketing project to require dozens of notes. It is physically impossible to share sticky notes with multiple team members, vendors and stakeholders. Adding task updates and additional information is also challenging due to their small size.

Locating important information in a stack of someone else's paperwork is clearly not the best option, either. And, if stacks of paper are not effective, team members will attempt to rely on their memory. When our mind is full, it is extremely easy to forget who, what, why, how and how much, in order to complete the job successfully. When deadlines are missed no one is clearly responsible for the error.

An online collaboration tool such as Wrike is a smart choice for keeping marketing plans on track. The tool keeps tasks, due dates, files, notes, milestones, and overall goals in one location that is accessible online. Multiple approved stakeholders can easily interact with the data and each other 24 hours per day using a desktop, tablet or smartphone device.

Marketing projects require constant communication. Text and graphical revisions, budget and cost structures, approvals and deadlines are all better served through ongoing dialogue. Wrike and online collaboration tools like it minimize or altogether eliminate ruffling through paper stacks, sharing sticky notes, and relying on the memory of overloaded team members.

Stakeholders will be thrilled as project results should bear the image of a well organized and communicated project plan.

An organization's strategic plan provides the guideline for team activities by mapping out quarterly goals. It takes many hours, days, months, discussions, and possibly heartache to solidify a Plan and incorporate it into the organization’s daily activities. Every decision made uses the Plan as a foundation, since it takes into account who you are, where you want to go, the steps to get there, and the time frame in which to do it.

Even with a clear road map, however, it is easy to become side tracked. Sometimes a path of least resistance unexpectedly appears and leaders anxiously pose ready to embrace it with both hands.

A nonprofit executive may find themselves responding to the generosity of a philanthropist, while a for-profit leader may come across an enthusiastic investor. Each suggests a project they are personally motivated to fund. Even though the project would ultimately be a distraction, a well intentioned executive director or CEO is enticed by the unanticipated revenue.

While it is tempting to force fit a well funded project into a strong strategic plan, there are rewards for leaving unsolicited funds on the table. First, staff will continue to enjoy clear direction in their daily and quarterly goals. Second, each department will exude a proactive, not reactive, budgeting process. And third, the organization as a whole will have a more focused and disciplined approach to implementing its strategic plan.

The key to staying on track is locating donors and investors excited to fund projects clearly articulated in the strategic plan. A Request for Proposal (RFP) is one method of communicating your organization’s direction and needs to potential supporters. An RFP process, along with the strategic plan, provides rationale for bypassing unsolicited revenue and the corresponding project, which is essential to remaining focused on the Plan team members strove to incorporate.

Growing organizations, building a reputation, or becoming more relevant requires creativity, calculated risk and hard work. When the time comes for a team or organization to reach further than they have before, change is in the air.

Change is necessary, but often unwelcome as the fears and complacency of those involved fight transformation with hope of delaying or preventing it.

One of the most effective ways to champion change is through a problem solving exercise. It is far easier to champion change when team members and decision makers agree a problem exists. After all, if current processes and methods accomplish the job, why change?

Are you championing change to increase revenue? Make your case using financials, comparisons to your competitors, and highlighting what increased revenue could provide in the way of additional research and development, employee benefits, or organizational charitable giving.

Does your brand need to be overhauled? Showcase the problem through surveys, professional consultant input, and organizational growth trends.

If a problem does indeed exist, team members should want to be part of finding the solution... Resulting in change. The focus on problem solving makes change exciting, rewarding, and a team endeavor involving willing hearts and minds.

Change is simply reaching for a newly identified goal and most team members will respond positively to the challenge. So go ahead, champion change. Give your team a problem to solve. Minimize their fear and let their creativity loose.

There are two thoughts I can offer to move a stalled project. The first one is, do what you can. We often attempt to solve the big problem and give up when the first road block emerges. Instead of becoming overwhelmed by the big picture, create small victories with the team and mark complete just one action item they agree on. Or, invite a stakeholder to lunch for a friendly discussion, building rapport. Do what is immediately in front of you to begin sensing camaraderie and progress.

The second thing to consider is the phrase, “Because we’ve always done it that way”. If the project is stuck, look at what the team is doing, change it just a little, and think twice about using that phrase as the main response to new ideas. At a recent leadership conference I received a button with that popular response printed on it. But, it had a red circle around it along with a line through it. Conference leadership made it clear that comfortable answers were no longer acceptable if we wanted to move forward.

The project is strong because of you. Good project managers, if committed to serving others, will have an impact. Focus on what is in front of you and be willing to entertain ideas that stretch you, the organization, and the team, even a little. Your influence will give the project and organization a better chance at that successful end result each stakeholder wants to achieve.