Lessons from Field Service Palm Springs 2023 ????

Last week I was at Field Service Palm Springs, North America’s largest conference for field service professionals.

It was Glide’s first industry conference sponsorship and the second conference sponsorship I’ve led for Glide.

What a learning experience. ??

I’ve worked big conferences before, but usually in a supportive role.

This was my first go end-to-end, from finding the sponsorship opportunity to coordinating all the logistics.

Some takeaways for other first-timers:

?? Pad your budget

Think you’ve done that already? Pad it more. There’ll be unexpected costs before, during, and after the event.

?? Give yourself plenty of lead time

We started planning last November. We finalized our booth and merch designs in February. I thought that’d be enough time, but we were still on the edge.

?? Minimize the merch

Your resources are better spent elsewhere. Save merch for your customers and community members who already have an affinity for the brand. They’re more likely to appreciate it - and it’s better for the environment.

?? Outsource the shipping & logistics

I DIY’d thinking it’d be better than going through a third party. I was wrong. I spent the last two months stressing about printing, shipping, and customs.

?? Keep it simple

Most of your booth visitors have three questions: Who are you? What do you do? Why should I care? The easier you make it for them to get those answers, the better.

***

I’ve done field events for over a decade. I’m always a ball of stress leading up to them, running high on adrenaline in the middle of them, and excited to do it all again once they've wrapped.

It’s a roller coaster I can't stop riding. ??

A big thanks to the Glide team for all the collaboration leading up to the event. Tom Parkes , Sepy Bazzazi , Louis Albertini , Rae Dinh , Branca Ballot , Ian Leatherbury , David Siegel , David J. Park and everyone else. This wouldn't have happened without your support!

Additional thanks to Brian Banks and Cliff Switzer from Lone Star Communications, Inc. for rocking it on the main stage.

And last but not least, thanks to Dr. Ian from Clearly Apps for sharing his Glide expertise with booth visitors.

Here’s to the next one…! ??