Provide plenty of copies of your résumé on plain paper to the career center so they can fulfill requests from employers. You can also post your business card and screen shots from your reel. If you make 100 copies you usually get a price break. Make copies ahead of time, as the business office at the convention center is usually busy and costly. Bring plenty of copies of your reel for both the career center and the job fair (August 2 and 3). Get to the job fair early and be sure to not only network with the employers but also with other job seekers as you stand in line. Check the list of employers who will be at the Career Fair online before you go and research the company so you can make a positive impression and stand out when you speak with the staff in the booth, even before they see your work. If you have an interview during the conference, be on time. Don't keep them waiting or they will move on to the next appointment.

Overall impressions should be recorded and shared. Organize all those business cards and other information you collected. Keep only what is of interest to you and toss the rest. Make notes of what you liked/didn't like about the show, anything you wish you did, but didn't get a chance to do. Record impressions of your hotel and restaurants with addresses and phone numbers and short reviews. This will help you when you attend the next trade show in that city. Go through the piles of information you gathered as soon as possible after the show. File the information you want to keep in a place where you can find it and recycle the rest of the materials. Ordering tapes of the speakers you missed can usually be done after the show.

Share the information you gathered at the convention with those who could not attend. Write a report summarizing the action items you think your company should consider or things that you learned which could benefit your company. Presenting your report to your company is a savvy move, making it likely you'll get to go again.

Notes make you notable. Record names, companies and any personal info of contacts you want to keep in touch with. Note the date and show where you met on the back of any business cards or flyers you receive. Enter contacts you want to keep in your database and follow up with a letter, email or phone call. Nice thank you notes following up any meetings you had will make you stand out from other attendees. Send notes as soon as you've recovered from your visit. If you have a long plane ride ahead, pack some note cards and get them done on the way home. You'll be sure to impress the recipient!

Pamela Kleibrink Thompson is a recruiter, career coach and management consultant. She speaks regularly at schools and industry meetings. She will be presenting "Résumés and Demo Reels: If Yours Aren't Working, Neither are You!" (course 22) on August 1 at SIGGRAPH 2005 and will be doing a repeat performance on August 3 as part of the educator's program.