It's our favorite time of year again – trade show season! After a brief hiatus for the winter holidays, real estate industry conventions are back in full force.

With Inman's Real Estate Connect just one week away – as well as a host of other awesome shows – we thought the timing might be exactly right for a post on how to become a trade show pro. Because booking your flight and hotel is only half the battle.

Our dedicated sales and marketing teams travel to dozens of trade shows in the US and Canada each year. So we aren't exaggerating when we say we have oodles of experience when it comes to finding the best eats, making sure your feet don't hurt and scoring the best swag. Read on for four industry-insider tips on how to be a real estate trade show pro!

Make Friends with Twitter

Today's real estate conventions and trade shows make use of identifying hashtags to enable conversations on Twitter. Hashtags are used to mark a tweet as belonging to a specific conversation. For instance, the hashtag for Real Estate Connect is #ICNY. If you click here, you will see that attendees and speakers are already using that hashtag to talk about what they're going to see and do at the conference next week.

Because Twitter happens in real time, using Twitter to find conversations about the trade show you're attending is a great way to stay ahead of the curve. You can learn which booths are giving away the best swag, find out what events are happening next and even discover great places to eat. If you're new to Twitter, check out our Twitter tips for real estate agents and get started today.

Avoid a Footwear Fiasco

Don't overestimate your ability to stand up for hours at a time. It sounds silly, but we've seen more than one first-time attendee limping painfully back to their hotel at the end of the day. Ladies, if you're determined to wear heels, be sure to pack some slip-on flats in your day bag. Gentlemen, now is the time to treat yourself to some nice insoles. You deserve it!

Your Smartphone Is Your New Swiss Army Knife

With all the apps available to real estate agents today, your smartphone is your ultimate trade show companion. You can scan business cards with TurboScan (iOS) or CamScanner (Android), get local recommendations with Yelp (iOS and Android), request a taxi with the tap of a finger (iOS and Android) and, of course, check Twitter. Many of the larger tradeshows even have their own apps that you can download to keep up with scheduled events, find your way around and plan your day.

Safety First

Attending a tradeshow can keep you out of your hotel room for hours at a time. Although it's lovely to come back to a clean room and fresh mints on your pillows (do they still do that anywhere?), if you've left your laptop or other valuables behind for the day, be sure to hang the "Do Not Disturb" sign on your door. It might not be foolproof, but the fewer strangers entering your room, the safer your belongings are. For more ways to safeguard your technology and data while traveling, check out this great Lifehacker post.

Where in the world is Point2 this month?

Are you attending any January trade shows? We sure are! You can find us at:

Real Estate Connect, New York: January 15th – 17th
Booth #15
Twitter hashtag: #ICNY

Calgary Real Estate Board Forecast Conference, Calgary: January 15th
Booths #407 and #506
Twitter hashtag: #creb14
In booth presentations every 90 minutes
$200 Point2 Homes advertising credit giveaway!

RE/MAX Kick Start, Toronto: January 15th & 16th
Booth #112
Twitter hashtag: #rmxks14

Where are you going in 2014? Let us know!

To view the original article, visit the Point2 Agent blog.