Make the most of Photonics West 2015

Next week is Photonics West 2015, and once again we're sharing with you some ways to get the most value from your trip.

Photonics West is one of the most important tradeshows for lead generation for our clients in the optics and photonics industry, but tradeshows are just one piece of the puzzle. These days, your customer will have done their own reasearch and nearly made up their mind before they reach your booth. To help you keep ahead of changing buying behaviors, Michele will be presenting a marketing and sales short course and roundtable at the show.

But it's not all business at Photonics West. It's San Francisco, which means there are plenty of exciting places to visit before you board your flight home. 

From technical and business presentations to up-and-coming eateries, here are ways you can both learn more and have more fun! 

Learn More

• Attend our Inbound Marketing Course to learn marketing and sales strategies to attract and engage with today's high tech customer.
  —Wednesday, 10:30am-12pm in Moscone Center Room 101

• Participate in a Marketing Roundtable with your peers in the industry. Compare notes on what has and hasn't worked for your company, and Michele will share some insights from high tech companies we've worked with as well as tips for better marketing ROI.
  —Wednesday, 12-1pm in Moscone Center Room 101 *Lunch provided
  

• If you're an APOMA member, attend the Annual Meeting. Jessica DeGroote Nelson of Optimax will speak on current capabilities, lessons learned and future opportunities in Fabricating and Testing Freeform Optics.
  —Wednesday, 8:30am at the InterContinental Hotel

• Attend Nanophase Technologies' presentation on Optimizing Profitability through Polishing Process Control. Nanophase will be sharing test results from their polishing lab and customer facilities and discussing the benefits of their optical polishing slurries.  
  —Tuesday, 3:30pm in Moscone Center Demo Area 1 (Hall ABC South) 

• Flying in early? Attend the Laser & Photonics Marketplace Seminar, presented by Laser Focus World and sponsored by Optimax.
  —Monday at the Marriott Marquis

Have More Fun

Food

A couple of our favorite places to grab a bite to eat in between events are:

• Johnny Foley’s: The unofficial exhibitor lounge

• Annabelle’s: Great for lunch or dinner without trekking too far from the convention center

Looking for something new? 

• THRILLIST has compiled their top 11 Best New San Francisco Restaurants of 2014.

• San Francisco Eater displays an interactive heatmap of currently popular places to eat in the Bay Area.

Recreation

• The Yerba Buena Gardens are an excellent spot for people-watching and right by the conference center.

• Although the SFMOMA is still closed for construction (we miss you, museum cafe!), there are still plenty of artsy things to see around town.

• Did we mention it's Beer Week?

Want more? Novus Light Technologies Today have posted their own list of can't-miss events, including the 2015 SPIE Startup Challenge and Startup Alley.

What are your favorite events and places? How are you optimizing your schedule to learn more and sell more at Photonics West?