I/ITSEC is the world's most significant Modeling, Simulation, and Training event starting November 27th. We wanted to give you the best advice for making the most of this once-a-year event. Experts Carol Ann Logue, Leslie Faircloth, and Dan Ketchen shared their insights on how to make the most of I/ITSEC, including the following.
Pre-I/ITSEC strategic planning
Plan, plan, and plan some more. Spend 2-3 hours preparing for each one you are at the conference.
Be strategic. Select the companies and people that are your highest priority and research them. You won't be able to do everything.
Be ready to present your short elevator pitch at any time. One of the magical aspects of I/ITSEC is impromptu chats and meetings. You never know who you might meet.
Want to chat with Government representatives? Great, they want to talk to you too.
Schedule a short chat with them now to meet at the conference. Their schedules are filling up.
Make sure to understand what problem you are solving for what program.
Beforehand, know how to solve their program's problem and what makes you different from your competitors.
Women- Bring a purse for a notebook and cards. Women's Pockets are so small.
Any meds you might need. It's a long day.
A Jacket. It can get cold at the conference.
Comfortable shoes and lots of water are a MUST! I/ITSEC is closer to a marathon than a sprint.
During I/ITSEC
Visit association booths. You will meet some great people, but they also have a vast network and can be inexpensive or at no cost (like Central Florida Tech Grove) to join.
"The Quad" is a large booth shared by the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines.
Keep your booth open till the very end of each day. You never know when someone will drop by.
Make sure to visit Booth 3665, Central Florida Tech Grove's Booth. Rumor has it that they have some great swag and someone a little bit famous in the booth.
A few Strategic Conversations Tips
Have your short two-sentence pitch ready. You will hear "What do you do?" hundreds of times, so be prepared with an answer.
Have a more extended pitch ready. Please include what you do, who you've done it for, how you are different than your competitors and know what you want from this interaction.
The goal of every conversation is to create a relationship and to obtain a second meeting.
Make sure to take notes about
What you talked about
What they asked you to follow up on
Any promises you made them.
Block a few days to your calendar after I/ITSEC in December and January to do all your follow-ups.
Follow Up in early December and again in January. Use the notes you took to make the interaction valuable.
A stack of business cards does nothing for you. You have to do the follow-ups.
Central Florida Tech Grove, 12809 Science Drive, Rm 160, , Orlando,FL,32826,United States,407-882-0061
