i3 - November/December 2016 - 19

By Jake Sigal

A DV I C E FO R E N T R E P R E N E U RS

Stay on Mission
at Eureka Park

I

f you're reading this, you've probably already
booked your trip to Las Vegas for CES 2017. You're
probably also gearing up to tour one of the largest
startup marketplaces on Earth, Eureka Park.
I've been asked the same question, from startup entrepreneurs
heading to the show for the first time to Fortune 500 execs
looking to get the most out of their visit to
Eureka Park. Everyone wants to know the
best strategy to maximize their experience.
Well, here's how to cut and focus.

Make a Goal

YAACOV DAGAN/ALAMY

Unlike CES Marketplaces dedicated to a
specific tech niche, Eureka Park is going
to hit you with anything and everything.
You need a mission for your visit. If you're
a top-level exec and your goal is simply
to check things out at the Marketplace,
you'd probably be better off staying in your
booth, meeting with your customers and
closing deals. If you're looking to get something more out of your visit, ask yourself
why you're going, identify a larger theme
and then pick a specific measurable goal.
Keep in mind that you already have a

zillion engineers working on all sorts of
cool things. You have a team of overpaid
consultants telling you where your specific
industry is going. Maybe you should pick
a larger goal of personal inspiration. Why
not use the floor to get excited about
something that brings the energy of
Eureka Park back to your staff 's next "allhands" meeting?

Build a Strategy
Bring back a story that makes an impact
by talking to five entrepreneurs. Ask why
they decided to go all-in. Pick a company
that's doing something you're interested
in and bring that passion back to your
own business. If you can get yourself
excited about why you've set this goal, you
can tell your admin that Eureka Park is

blocked-out time. If you stay on mission,
the energy you'll bring back is more important than the technologies you'll discover.
If you're a startup exhibitor and a
CES first-timer, get ready for absolute
mayhem. You're going to lose your
voice, your feet are going to hurt and
you're probably going to realize that
your technology isn't that unique. It's a
humbling experience. Some of you have a
product that's ready for launch, but most
of you are doing the VC dog-and-pony
show. It's very easy to show up at CES,
have 20-30 great meetings and end up
back where you started when you get
home. It's important to realize that while
opportunity exists, you must make a plan
and work to execute it.

Walk the Floor
Unlike niche conferences for your
specific industry, CES provides a unique
opportunity to see how other entrepreneurs in non-competitive categories are
marketing their business and addressing
problems. Use the show to get inspired
for your 2018 launch plan. I've spent
too many shows planted in my booth or
roaming my section only to wish I had
more time to "see the show."
Unless you are there to sell to retail
buyers, odds are you're thinking more
about setting up business meetings than
getting ideas and inspiration for your
company's future. Block out two hours
a day for your team to walk the floor
looking for authenticity. Take photos and
videos of booth demos, the best logos
and things that just ooze awesomeness
to you. Take these back to your team and
after the show, figure out exactly what
you liked about them. Map out a strategy
for duplicating that level of authenticity
with your brand and your products.
It's true: You have to be big to look big,
but projecting authenticity is easier when
you're small. Finding authenticity is one
of the many hidden gems at CES that
startups rarely realize.
n
Jake Sigal is the chief executive owl at Tome
Software. You can find Jake in Eureka Park
and online at tomesoftware.com.

C TA . t e c h / i 3

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

19
http://www.tomesoftware.com/ http://CTA.tech/i3
i3 - November/December 2016

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