It’s official, the annual HIMSS Conference in 2021 has been moved from its original date in March to August 9 – 13. That’s right, Las Vegas, in the dog days of summer.
For health tech marketers, this is the show to end all shows where deals are made and most of the year’s marketing budget is spent.
With large in-person shows out of the picture in 2020, here’s a handy list of 7 smart ways to spend this year’s trade show budget on growing your brand and increasing leads. 
But it’s not too early to start planning future trade shows.
5 questions about the future of trade shows
To say that the mega trade shows will be different next year is an understatement. Here are some questions to consider as you start planning your future trade show strategy:
- What does the next generation of industry trade shows look like?
- How can in-person events offer an exclusive, intimate environment, while also making attendees feel safe?
- Where are there opportunities to creatively use technology to interact with trade show attendees?
- Have you calculated the ROI on past trade show attendance? If you haven’t, now would be a great time to do so!
- Do you have a back-up plan to generate leads in case your industry trade shows are canceled or further delayed again?
Of course, the biggest question of them all is whether your company plans to return to a trade show exhibit hall ever again.
It’s not too early to start planning your 2021 marketing strategy
Only time will tell what the future holds for large industry trade shows, such as HIMSS. But as a marketer, it’s your job to start planning.
Review our countdown to HIMSS marketing survival guide to start planning today.
What will your trade show strategy look like in 2021?
