By Tom Wozniak, Head of Marketing – published on Forbes.com on 1/10/20.

One thing that many industries have in common is the number of events (conferences, trade shows, seminars, etc.) created to meet the needs of the market. As marketers, we tend to focus more on these events than many people, since they provide opportunities to promote awareness of our companies, identify new prospects, drive business growth and play a part in generating revenue. At the same time, they can represent major commitments in time, budget, staffing and other resources, both leading up to and during the event.

Companies typically have to pick and choose which events to focus on, since it is often not feasible to attend (let alone exhibit or sponsor at) them all. Once you decide an event warrants your team’s time and attention, the most important thing is to make sure you get the most value from the commitment.

Here are four tips to help you generate the highest return on your event investment.

1. Plan your event schedule in advance.

This one may seem obvious, but it’s surprising how many people show up at an industry event expecting to figure things out when they get there. This is not a recipe for a productive event or a good allocation of your time or company’s marketing budget.

Read the rest at Forbes.com.