Posted By: Carrie Morin, Associate Director, Exhibits and Sponsorships
The Exhibit & Poster Hall is so much more than a vendor mall or a place to pick up fun items – it’s the one-stop location where you can find answers and learn about new technologies across the genetics and genomics spectrum! This year’s Exhibit & Poster Hall is the biggest ever, featuring over 280 companies! That may sound intimidating, but it really points to an exciting time in technology, drug discovery, and so much more in genetics and genomics.
PetaGene asserts that walking the Exhibit & Poster Hall is a “great opportunity to find out how you could work smarter and push your science forward.”
Wondering How to Approach an Exhibitor?
St. Jude Cloud suggests that you “ask for a one-sentence explanation. If you’re not interested, we won’t waste your time.” Don’t forget that booth staff are often scientists themselves and are also attending sessions or presenting posters, like you!
Think about a problem you are having trouble solving due to software or technology. Go to that exhibitor and tell them! Ask them what they suggest, and they will be happy to troubleshoot with you and may even have a solution for you on the spot. Olink Proteomics says, “We are scientists who love talking to other scientists, so come to our booth for discussions around your projects.”
Genoox states that hall visitors “have the opportunity to truly impact and shape the future of our products.” All exhibitors feel this way – they want their products and services to move the field forward and you are a huge part of that! Tell them what you need, what you want; they are thrilled to have a discussion with you!
Don’t Have a Big Budget?
Ask a company to help you make the case to your supervisor or schedule an in-person meeting. New exhibiting company Miroculus asserts that the most pressing issue facing the field of human genetics is “making it possible for small labs to be able to automate and routinize the most complex protocols.” Industry wants to work with you to make discoveries!
Learn from Exhibiting Scientists
CoLab theaters can be found within the clusters of booths, where industry has organized 30- or 45-minute sessions focused on their technologies. Topics are organized under the headings of Data, Clinical, and Laboratory and include sessions on single-cell technology, workflow automation, variant analysis, and handling genomic data to name just a few. Explore the CoLab schedule, and know that CoLab talks don’t oppose official platform or invited sessions, so you should have the time to check them out!
Where else can you get hands-on demonstrations of equipment or software? Or short tech-focused sessions? All while getting a cup of coffee or lunch while networking with your colleagues. ASHG 2019’s exhibitors are excited to meet you and help you advance discoveries in human genetics and genomics!