How To Dress At a Tradeshow or Conference
At 38, I think I’m getting old. Case in point – I get more annoyed these days by how people dress for business events. My uniform for tradeshows and conferences I attend or speak at is typically a suit but no tie. It’s professional but not too uptight. It also tends to fit in with whatever anyone else is wearing so that I don’t feel overdressed talking to an exhibitor, for example, who is wearing the logo collar shirt and khakis.
Now, I live in Southern California where we dress more casually anyway, but the picture below drives me nuts. Notice the guy in the green t-shirt and flip-flops.
Are you kidding me? This conference is one my friend Rafat Ali from PaidContent.org is producing today and the photo is from the reception last night. This conference has some of the biggest names in media attending with nearly all of the speakers at the CEO level. Now, I’m probably going to find out that the guy in the photo who looks like he should be at the pool is “so and so – who just got 8 million in VC funding for his Web 2.0, social networking for houseplants startup” but for crying out loud – put on a sports jacket once in a while.
We get about a half-dozen calls before our tradeshows where people are asking what they should wear and my answer is always the same – business casual at the minimum. Perhaps I’m old-fashioned, but I still like doing business with people who dress appropriately for the situation. I think it says something the pride they take in themselves and their business.
June 8th, 2007 at 6:36 am |
Hi Tim,
Having come from the Semi-Conductor world, I too am use to dressing UP for conventions, tradeshows, and networking events–but then again that was during the glory days of SemiCon and Comdex.
Today’s business owner is made from different thread. While you and I had parents who taught us to dress up when flying, going to chruch, and good school clothes–the generation behind us were taught it isn’t so much how you look as what you feel.
Echoing your comments, you are never wrong going business casual, but then again if the entire social network with-in your circle of contacts is wearing T-Shirts, Shorts and Flipflops then go with the flow.
Ed Bejarana
June 8th, 2007 at 6:54 am |
[...] Tim at TNC wrote this blog article: How To Dress At a Tradeshow or Conference and it struck a chord with me. I have a good friend, Lee at Nimlok Gulf Coast, who always wears a Hawaiian shirt, shorts and deck shoes. Day in a day out, conferences and just about every where he goes. I asked Lee why and his answerer changed my perspective. He said, "Have you ever tried wearing a sports coat in Southern Florida in the summer time?" [...]