Had I gone to trade shows I would still be in construction day to day.

Is the opening line above a little dramatic? Sure. It's there a little for shock value, but it's also the exact thought that kept running through my mind the first time I went to Procore Groundbreak and Con Expo.

I'm still technically in construction- just on a different side of things now. I started as a young laborer on a concrete crew and over a dozen years worked my way through the ins and outs of the industry. I obtained a Construction Management degree and eventually became a Project Manager. I was (still am) the tech savvy young guy at a construction company that was always trying to improve things. I was always pushing the boundaries of what technology could do.

It occurred to me the first time I went to Procore Groundbreak as I was talking to Sasha Reed of Bluebeam just how far I was pushing that boundary. I had mentioned to her that I was using Adobe Acrobat to mark up and email submittals long before that became the norm and that I had tested out Bluebeam in 2007 as a potential solution for our company. She was happy to hear that I was in on Bluebeam so early on.

When I started as a Project Engineer in 2004 we were still in the “seven copies of everything via mail” phase that the industry had been in for years. Our “innovation” was having a green and a yellow copy of the transmittal sheet so we could know which one had come back from the architect and which one had not. In 2006 we started a fast-track project for a national client based out of a larger city on the East coast. We didn’t have time to ship submittals back and forth and the cost to overnight seven copies of everything wasn’t in the bid and wasn’t something the owners were going to entertain as a change order (this was also before the days of two-day shipping on basically anything at a reasonable price). This was my opportunity and I seized it! I talked the architect into emailing as many submittals as we could back and forth and I would use Adobe Acrobat to mark up and make notes on them. It worked like a charm and we started doing it on more and more projects until it became the norm. The time savings cannot be understated here. Not having to hand mark notes on seven copies of shop drawings and not having to print out seven copies of everything saved so much time from suppliers, vendors, subcontractors, general contractors, architects, engineers... Everybody. We wasted SO MUCH time on that process!

Over the years at the company I worked at I duplicated the above described event many times for other processes. We would see a potential solution or something that would save us lots of time, look for an opportunity to present it and/or implement it, then joy in the fact that it worked and made things easier and more efficient. Jobsite photos, daily reports, plan viewing and version storing, document control, not relying on a paper copy of anything/everything are just a few examples.

I, like many of my contemporaries, would see time wasted between protocols, workflows, and processes for years. But here’s the problem and the reason I give you this whole back story- I had little to no access to my contemporaries. I was basically operating in a vacuum of my project teams and my company. I could only see technology progress as far as my own jobsites. My outside colleagues at the time were guys I went to college with doing the same things I was doing at their respective companies and we didn’t know what we could or couldn’t share! We were also too busy trying to climb the corporate ladder to have much time to chat about day to day work. Social media hadn’t created groups on LinkedIn or Reddit or Facebook yet. Hashtags hadn’t become a thing, so if you wanted to connect with people in similar situations or even hear about conferences your resource was trade magazines and Google- and there wasn’t much out there. In short: I was isolated. I know that even today many of you out there are too. You're working head down to meet the next deadline with limited time to innovate.

Going to trade shows would have massively changed things for me as a young technology champion. I would have met people just like me that were pushing for the exact same things that I was. I know this to be true because I’ve since found these people at trade shows! I’ve sat in classes and chatted at booths with people that are like me and were like younger me. I've met people trying to improve the same processes I was. I've had my eyes opened in talking with people to what other processes I could have helped improve. I've become friends with some great colleagues at trade shows that continue today. But more than anything I've just become a better professional. I know what's out there. I know where the industry is going. I know what others around me that are very similar to me are struggling with as a company and what they're trying to do to get better.

My plea with you in writing this article is this: Ask your companies to make time and money for trade show attendance. It will pay off. I know that it’s hard to leave projects and to potentially lose productivity, but it is 100% worth it.

Trade Show Tips

The first thing to know about when you are going to a trade show is which ones you should go to. More than likely you’re having to sell your higher ups on the idea, so have your ducks in a row. Here are some of the ones I recommend:

The NAHB International Builders Show- Happens yearly in January. Location alters between Orlando and Las Vegas. This conference is definitely geared towards contractors that are doing lots of residential, multi-family, and remodeling work. They have a wealth of industry classes, a tech pavilion, and just lots and lots of contractors. It’s usually the first show after the new year and as such is very well attended.

World of Concrete- Held yearly in Las Vegas. On years where Con Expo isn’t happening this is the biggest construction show around. It’s easy to think, “we don’t do much concrete work, so why would this be for us?” but that’s not the case. There are plenty of things to see and do at this show for all companies.

Conexpo-Con/Agg- Only held once every 3 years in Las Vegas, but when it’s held it’s every bit as big as the heralded Consumer Electronics Show. The enormity of this show cannot be adequately portrayed here unless you actually see it. You could walk around for 5 days of this show and still not see everything there is to see. This conference has something for contractors of all sizes and specialties. 2020 happens to be a Con Expo year- If you can go to this show in March, do it.

Procore Groundbreak- I can’t say enough about how much this conference opened my eyes. Younger me- still working as a Project Engineer or Project Manager- would have thought he had died and gone to heaven. The Procore folks also know how to throw a party and the conference is a great time.

Con Tech Roadshow- A conference put on by my friends at JB Knowledge and is held regionally a few times a year. You will definitely meet people like you at this show and you will see technology and hear speakers that will open your mind to the possibilities.

Now that you have one or some shows in mind to attend, here’s what you should be doing at the trade shows:

Go With a Specific Purpose in Mind- Before you leave, talk with folks in your organization and find out what you should be looking for. Do you want to more closely monitor productivity? Are you looking for a new ERP solution? Do you want to have a better document management and streamlined approval system? Do you want to more accurately track time and job costs on your projects? Whatever your company needs, there’s a solution for it- you just need to find it.

Before you leave, talk with folks in your organization and find out what you should be looking for. Do you want to more closely monitor productivity? Are you looking for a new ERP solution? Do you want to have a better document management and streamlined approval system? Do you want to more accurately track time and job costs on your projects? Whatever your company needs, there’s a solution for it- you just need to find it. Review the Vendor Attendees and Conference Map- Know who’s there and do some research. Most conferences have a list of attending vendors listed on their website or in attendee material. With your knowledge of knowing what you’re looking for- do some research ahead of time to see if you can find potential vendors that look good initially. Of course, even as you’re doing this don’t get tunnel vision and make sure you have time and energy to do some searching. With so many vendors there’s always somebody there that may be a fit that you may not have thought of.

Know who’s there and do some research. Most conferences have a list of attending vendors listed on their website or in attendee material. With your knowledge of knowing what you’re looking for- do some research ahead of time to see if you can find potential vendors that look good initially. Of course, even as you’re doing this don’t get tunnel vision and make sure you have time and energy to do some searching. With so many vendors there’s always somebody there that may be a fit that you may not have thought of. Go to Classes - Most trade shows will have industry classes as a part of the conference. These classes bring together experts from around the country that can talk about specific topics. Review the list of classes and find things that are either A- of interest to you professionally, or B- pertain to one of the specific needs you’ve established that you’re looking for.

- Most trade shows will have industry classes as a part of the conference. These classes bring together experts from around the country that can talk about specific topics. Review the list of classes and find things that are either A- of interest to you professionally, or B- pertain to one of the specific needs you’ve established that you’re looking for. Go to Evening Meetups - Many vendors use conferences as a way to thank existing customers and to get to know new potential customers through evening meetup events. Generally these events aren’t published, but if you go their booth you’ll know about them. These events are great because they’re a good way to unwind, but more importantly they’re a great place to have deeper discussions with potential partners and to get to know contemporaries that have similar interests as you. Meeting and chatting with folks from around the country opens up a world of potential opportunities for learning and collaboration for you.

- Many vendors use conferences as a way to thank existing customers and to get to know new potential customers through evening meetup events. Generally these events aren’t published, but if you go their booth you’ll know about them. These events are great because they’re a good way to unwind, but more importantly they’re a great place to have deeper discussions with potential partners and to get to know contemporaries that have similar interests as you. Meeting and chatting with folks from around the country opens up a world of potential opportunities for learning and collaboration for you. Make the Most of Your Time There - Going to a warm location in the winter seems like a good opportunity to sit by the pool or the craps table, but be wary of that. You have limited time there- you should leave tired. Obviously you should have some fun, but the fun shouldn’t be your biggest takeaway from the conferences. There are generally relevant things going on from 7 or 8 AM to 9 or 10 PM. Make use of it and plan your time accordingly.

- Going to a warm location in the winter seems like a good opportunity to sit by the pool or the craps table, but be wary of that. You have limited time there- you should leave tired. Obviously you should have some fun, but the fun shouldn’t be your biggest takeaway from the conferences. There are generally relevant things going on from 7 or 8 AM to 9 or 10 PM. Make use of it and plan your time accordingly. Go Back Again- Like in many facets of our industry, experience matters. Nobody expects you to do well the first time you do anything in construction and the same holds true with trade shows. The first time you go you learn the ropes and get the lay of the land- the next time you go back you’ll be much farther ahead. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t find the perfect solution on the first day or sometimes even the first show. As you learn how to “trade show” well you’ll learn to be more efficient.

I hope any of you reading this take the opportunity and go to at least one trade show this year. Not a trade show goes by that I don’t see products that I would have loved to have used at the general contractor that I worked for. Not a trade show goes by that I don’t text my buddies that are still at that company to tell them about something that I saw that could help them.

If you’re reading this as a company owner- find and identify the folks in your organization that can help you improve processes and do what it takes to get them there. Give them ownership and task them with the responsibility to help your company get better. It will improve your business now and in the long run and will help your employees progress.

Dustin Chapman is a Senior Account Executive at busybusy.com. While working as a construction professional, he built out well over 1 million square feet of multi-family, commercial, institutional, religious, tenant finish, apartment renovation, green building, podium, and financial institution projects. He will be at many trade shows this spring, and would love to chat with you about anything construction technology related. Email him at dustin.chapman@busybusy.com.