Stay in town, not near the venue

Getting a hotel right by the venue seems to make a lot of sense. After all, it’s less far to walk right?

This is a common mistake amongst noobs. Truth be told the area immediately around the venue is just… Well… Boring. Half of the point of the show is socialising, and most of that will happen in the centre. All you’ve earned yourself is a train or taxi back out to the venue. Don’t bother. It takes little effort to get in by train, and is the way the majority of people will do things. Far nicer to wine and dine in the centre with everybody else.

Resign yourself to very little sleep

Whether you’re an attendee or on a stand, you’ll be on your feet for about 12 hours a day. Then you have to go and party.

There’s a serious point in here though: You’re being paid to be here, the show is expensive, and your time at the show is limited. Make the most of it. Get out there and network and have some fun. You can sleep when you’re dead.

Time zones

As you’ll have noticed Germany is GMT + 1. An obvious point, but make sure you book appointments into your calendar with this in mind. You’d surprised how often this catches people out.

Most calendars on mobile phone will auto-adjust their timings along with the new time zone, (so a press interview that showed up as a 9am in the UK would show up correctly as a 10am appointment in Germany). But some won’t. Worse still, some will reissue invites based on what they see as an ‘adjusted’ appointment as soon as you land.

It’s basic, but check your settings, and check diaried appointments when you arrive.

Comfy shoes

Brogues or high heels may look swish, and may be comfy in the office. They might not be after 14 hours on your feet, spread across several days.

If you’re going to be walking the show floor, seriously, don’t worry about it – wear comfortable shoes, even trainers – it’s the mark of a show veteran, and no-one will judge you for it. You can always throw a smarter pair in your rucksack for those unanticipated meetings.

Sort your mobile data plan

You don’t want to be caught short in Nuremburg without access to your mobile data plan (and therefore maps or email) on-the-go. Venue Wi-Fi has always, historically, been unreliable. While this is getting better, it’s good to have a backup, and you’ll definitely need that plan for communicating and finding your way around Nuremberg.

This won’t be an issue for most Europeans these days, but otherwise check your plan and sign into a data plan for the duration of your stay. It’s just not worth cheaping out on.

That said, if you must go without a data plan, mapping apps such as map.me, with the option for downloadable maps, will provide a reasonable ‘getaround’ for your lack of ‘live’ mapping facilities.

A few members of the Wildfire electronics team will be at Embedded World. Email us for an introduction.

Photo credit