Every big show produces two kinds of visitors: the ones who walk 30 kilometres collecting tote bags, and the ones who come home with three quotes, two workshop contacts and a decision. The difference is a system.
Before the show
- Write the three decisions the visit should advance — a vehicle purchase, a telematics switch, a parts supplier review. Everything else is entertainment.
- Book stand meetings in advance for the serious conversations; the right people at big stands are scheduled days out.
- Build a hall route around those meetings — the IAA grounds are measured in kilometres, and geography eats unplanned days.
- Set a hotel budget early; show cities sell out months ahead.
On the floor
- Push past the show truck to the spec conversation: service intervals, warranty terms, parts availability, delivery slots. Stands staff their best product people for exactly these questions.
- Photograph plates, spec sheets and stand cards together — a hundred photos without context are worthless by Thursday.
- Leave slack for discoveries: one aisle of component suppliers often repays more than another OEM stand. The unglamorous halls — brakes, axles, electronics — are where fleet costs actually live.
- Talk to other operators in the queues. The most honest product reviews at any show are waiting for coffee.
After the show
The show ends when the follow-ups are sent — within a week, while stands remember you. Turn notes into a one-page decision memo per topic: what changed, who to shortlist, what to test. If nothing survives that filter, the visit was a nice walk — and next time, the preparation list above is the fix.
Cover photo: Matti Blume via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
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