By John Kelly, CEO, Bluegrass Business Media
With all the planning and anticipation that goes into the months leading up to the IDN Summit and Reverse Expo, it's easy to forget the significance of those weeks that follow.

One of the exercises we go through is to review the surveys we receive, both onsite and online, so that we can continue to provide you with the best possible IDN Summit experience. 

Something that stood out as we began reviewing comments was that the attendees who seem to get the very most out of their IDN Summit experience are often the ones who indicate they have taken full advantage of all the opportunities available to them. By design, the IDN Summit is more than an education program and a Reverse Expo, as important as those two features are to the overall event. By taking part in more than just one or two facets of the show, you are more likely to grow the opportunities from your participation.

Networking has become such an overused term that our eyes sometimes gloss over when we see it, but the reality is, it takes that sort of professional mingling, meeting and interaction to capitalize on what happens during the IDN Summit and Reverse Expo. Making use of every potential avenue open to you onsite makes it easier to connect with key supply chain partners both during the Summit and in follow up afterward.

Certainly it's good to be consistent and confident on the show floor as you make the rounds at the Reverse Expo. That's an important step. But we have found that attendees who also fully participate in other areas of the Summit, such as team building, gain a great deal of value from doing so. Attendees gaining the most benefits by taking full advantage of their participation are often the ones who will seek out supply chain leaders during afternoon and evening events, or chat with a speaker after a session and exchange ideas that could open the door for follow up. They are also the ones seizing the chance to suggest a discussion over breakfast or set up a side meeting.

The take away from such experiences is to make the most of your time in the Reverse Expo, but make the most of your time outside of it as well. The IDN Summit and Reverse Expo can provide you with a wealth of ways to make critical contact with key leaders in the industry as long as you are ready to seize those opportunities.