Your first tradeshow can be an overwhelming experience. There are aisles and aisles of booths, vendors and models trying to attract your attention, and real work that needs to get done in the midst of a completely chaotic atmosphere. It could drive anyone crazy. Thankfully, with a little bit of planning and a sufficiently deep breath, you’ll not only survive the trade show but also create contacts and learn about new products.

Almost every industry has a trade show. Convention centers cycle them in and out, week after week. What looks like chaos to the average attendee is actually very organized. Here are a few tips to getting the most out of your trade show.

Look over the List of Participants before you arrive

Most industries provide a website or even mail you a list of participants when you register for the trade show. Make sure you go through this list carefully. Will important clients or suppliers be there? Have you spent a lot of time in this industry or are you new to the entire scene? While both of these questions sound simple, the answers can totally change your plans for the trade show. If you are using this time to connect with familiar sales reps, company owners or clients, you will want to allocate large blocks of free time that can be spent hanging out in their booths. If you are new to the industry, you’ll want to spend most of your time walking the floor, checking out all of the products and services that go along with your industry and making contacts with people across the board.

Set a Schedule

Once you have a general idea of who else is going to be at the convention, you will want to set a schedule. Depending on your personality, this can be as strict or fluid as possible, but it is a good idea to know what you need to accomplish and create a basic timeline.

Here’s an example for a typical 3½ -day trade show:

Monday: Walk the floor. Get a general idea of main players and set up appointments if not already scheduled.

Tuesday: Meet with main suppliers, clients, etc.

Wednesday: Finish up main meetings; check out smaller booths.

Thursday Morning: Visit any small or seemingly unrelated booths. Pack up and go home.

You may deviate from the schedule, but if you plot our your priorities, you can be sure you will visit every essential booth, even if you don’t get to see the guy selling giant chess boards in the far west corner.

Make Appointments

When you are working with larger corporations and busy sales reps, you will need to make an appointment. Try doing this before you leave for the trade show. This will allow you to make sure you get an appointment at the beginning of the day (when everyone is less tired) and that your priority relationships actually get the time they need. If you can’t schedule appointments before you arrive, swing by their booths on the first morning of the show. Set up appointments and make sure that when you do arrive for your scheduled time, you aren’t late. Trade shows are busy for everyone, the exhibitors and the buyers. Don’t start off your negotiations with a rude move like holding them up—it’s not worth it.

Bring a Rolling Suitcase

You will receive a mountain of marketing materials during your time at the trade show. Some will be important, like business cards, price sheets and product specs. Others are just junk, pens, paperweights and samples of things you know your company will never buy. Though you will probably receive quite a few cloth and paper bags, consider bringing an extra rolling suitcase. You will save your back and have a way to cart everything home, back for your boss and co-workers to sort though. For some reason, the rolling suitcase also gives you an air of authority. While others may get stuck in crowds of participants, you may find that a path always opens for someone with rolling luggage. If nothing else, it will buy you a bit of breathing room in a crowded convention hall.

Wear Comfortable Shoes

Convention Centers are just large warehouses complete with concrete floors and lots of distance to travel. They are not the place to break in a new pair of shoes. Figure you will spend at least three-quarters of your day on your feet. Make sure you wear shoes (and an entire outfit, for that matter) that are comfortable and suited to the conditions.

Take Notes

You will see, hear, and experience so much at the trade show. While you might have a good idea on Tuesday afternoon, you may be hard pressed to remember it back at home when debriefing with your boss. Take notes of you meetings and general observations at the show. If you notice your business is out of touch with the rest of the industry, write it down and mention specific examples. If you make an oral agreement, make sure to write out what was said. Some people take notes during the day while others write up a report each evening. Depending on your preferences, you might want to set a two-hour rule: after two hours on the floor, you take a break, have a cup of coffee, and jot down anything that has happened or occurred to you in the last couple of hours. When you get back home and are trying to remember who the best stationary supplier was, you’ll be happy to look back at your little notebook.

Strike a Balance

Tradeshow weeks are not only a great time for visiting the booths at the convention center, they can also be an opportunity to socialize with other people in your industry. You may find yourself invited to dinners and parties put on by your business association, exhibitors, or by large clients that want to thank you for your business. These can be a great time to network and enjoy the fruits of your hard work. You may also find your hotel lobby to be a gathering place for other people just like yourself. It’s great to network and start new friendships, but don’t forget the purpose of your trip. Too many people spend their nights at the hotel bar only to wake up half-way through the show the next morning. Make sure to strike a balance between work and pleasure.

Be Flexible

Things never go just like you planned. You may have the perfect schedule, shoes and suitcase, but I’ll bet you are still exhausted at the end of the day. Not every relationship will lead to a successful business transaction. Not every booth will have what you’re looking for. Don’t worry! Flexibility is one of the greatest strengths you can have at a tradeshow or in life for that matter. If your plan isn’t working—change it. There are so many paths you can take at a trade show, don’t be afraid to try a few.

Save the worst for last

This little bit of advice seems obvious, but it’s more than true on the tradeshow floor. I’ve seen too many people roped into meetings that they know will not be profitable, but because they had some spare time on the first day, they ended up purchasing something they will never, ever sell. If something stinks, stay away from it. This means deals, booths, salesmen, and whatever. Make sure you get the most out of the tradeshow before you go wasting your time with random exhibitors or clients that have burned you in the past. Save all of the miscellaneous stuff for the very end of the trade show. If you get to it, great. If not, you won’t have missed anything.

Visiting a tradeshow can be very rewarding, both personally and financially. You can create new relationships, make profitable deals, and learn more about your industry. Just make sure you’re prepared.