If you tend to think that living in a technological era isn’t really that big of a deal outside of cell phones, heated car seats, and Netflix, read the following statistics:

* Over 3.8 billion people use the internet daily; that’s about half of the world’s population.

* More than 570 new websites are created every minute.

* 340,000 tweets are sent a minute.

* 90% of the world’s data has been created in the last 2 years.

* Digital marketing and AI marketing are among the fastest growing new careers.

And THIS is why you need to get yourself to a trade show. If you don’t display your products at a trade show, you are out of the running for potential buyers who make their buying decisions primarily at those venues.

These statistics are staggering not only because of the sheer volume they contain, but also because they are constantly, rapidly changing. Even though we live in the technological age, in the marketing world, face-to-face meetings and good old-fashioned handshakes and meet-ups are king when it comes to getting to know your clients. Sometimes, that can leave those customers rooted in the tech sector a little bit excluded. Even if you’re not directly selling products or services related to technology, you certainly have acquaintances who are techies, and you need to be able to converse with them on their level.

For this reason, it might do you well to plan to attend a technology trade show this year. Just walking the aisles, perusing the booths, and talking with booth staffers can exponentially grow your tech knowledge. At the very least, it will increase your techy vocabulary! Here’s a chronological list of some upcoming North American technology trade shows and event scheduled for the first half of 2019:

WHAT: NAB Show 
WHEN: April 6-11, 2019
WHERE: Las Vegas, Nevada

The National Association of Broadcasters is a staple in the tech community, bringing global visionaries together to deliver content in a lively, fresh, innovative way. The NAB Show, however, goes a step further and brings together the entire digital ecosystem. Professionals from every imaginable industry convene in Vegas for a week to grow their knowledge, gain top-notch training, play with the latest technology, and connect with trailblazers in their business. With a show floor spanning over a mile, no avenue is left out. The NAB show celebrates all roads of technology – the artistic, the scientific and the economic.

WHAT: ISC West
WHEN: April 10-12, 2019
WHERE: Las Vegas, Nevada

The largest converged security industry trade event in North America comes to Las Vegas mid-April. The International Security Conference & Exposition (ISC) focuses on the physical security industry – access control, alarms, monitoring, biometrics, IP security, video surveillance/CCTV and more. Tech reps from over 1,000 companies in the security industry will be filling the halls. If you’d rather network with security professionals, there will be a quarter of a million of them there, too.

WHAT: Offshore Technology Conference 2019
WHEN: May 6-9, 2019
WHERE: Houston, Texas

The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) is not-to-be-missed this year as they celebrate their 50^th anniversary.  The OTC will not only celebrate the last 50 years, but they will also roll out their predictions and discoveries about innovations they expect to see in the NEXT 50 years. Held annually at NRG park in Houston, OTC’s flagship conference is always on the cutting edge, as it yearly hosts energy professionals seeking to exchange ideas to advance scientific knowledge related to environmental concerns. In the past several years, offshore resources have been a hot topic as attendees persevere to find solutions to environmental matters.

So what interests you? There are lots of options – from classes to hands-on experience to lectures – if you have an interest in learning more about any type of technology and from any perspective (artistic, economic, scientific, and more). Any of these shows is guaranteed to enhance your marketing skills as you continue to deal more and more with people who are either directly or indirectly involved with and impacted by technology. So pick a show and get in touch with your own inner techy.