CRIV CONNECTION

Author: Deanna Barmakian, Research Librarian, Harvard Law School Library

CRIV asked Steve Roses from W.S. Hein & Co. to share some insight into the conference experience from a vendor’s point of view.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

Starting off easy, what is your title, and how many years have you been with Hein?

I’m director of sales at William S. Hein and Company. I joined Hein in 2009. Before that I spent many years working with other legal publishers, namely Thomson Reuters and Carswell. I’m also a graduate of Boston College Law School and a member of the Massachusetts Bar. Much of my professional life has involved working with law libraries and legal information professionals, which has been both interesting and rewarding.

THE NUTS & BOLTS OF EXHIBITING

About how many conferences does Hein attend in a typical year? What’s the mix between U.S. law library events versus international or general academic ones?

It varies by year, but I typically attend somewhere in the range of six to 10 conferences. About half of those are law library focused events such as the AALL Annual Meeting & Conference or regional chapter meetings like SCALL (Southern California Association of Law Libraries) and SEAALL (Southeastern Chapter of the American Association of Law Libraries). The rest tend to be broader academic or international conferences. In recent years that has included Amerian Library Association (ALA), Association of College and Research Libraries, the Charleston Conference, Electronic Resources and Libraries, and meetings hosted by library consortia.

Hein also participates in conferences internationally. Over the years we’ve exhibited in different parts of the world, such as the Chinese and American Forum on Legal Information in China, Australian Association of Law Libraries in Australia, and AMICAL meetings in Morocco.

Briefly, what does attending a conference as a vendor representative typically involve?

Large meetings such as AALL or ALA often involve three or four days including exhibit hall time, while smaller meetings may run for only one or two days. Exhibit hall hours also vary widely. Some conferences have booths open most of the day, while others schedule exhibit sessions for shorter blocks of time.

One aspect of Hein that sometimes surprises people is that when we attend a conference we tend to be present for the entire event. Larger vendors sometimes travel with large teams who rotate booth shifts. At Hein, we usually stay and participate throughout the show. Between working the booth during the day and attending receptions or social events in the evening, conference days often involve being on our feet from morning until night. That usually includes everything from setting up the booth at the start of the conference to packing it back up at the end. I think that is something people are sometimes surprised to hear, especially at larger meetings like AALL.

I also try to schedule library visits around conferences, when possible, which is a good opportunity to continue those conversations in a different setting and spend more time with people outside of the exhibit hall.

THE BOOTH EXPERIENCE

What are the range of questions you tend to get? Is the exhibit hall an OK place for librarians to pitch general suggestions or feature requests for the HeinOnline platform?

Conversations at the booth cover a wide range. Sometimes librarians stop by for a quick hello or sometimes there are longer discussions.

We always welcome people to stop by, whether it is just for a quick intro or to talk through a specific question. Mentioning a specific topic such as training, content, or a current challenge can help us make the most of the time. Even a quick conversation can often lead to a helpful follow-up after the conference. Some of the best conversations happen during quieter moments at the booth when there is more time to talk through questions in depth.

Two questions that come up often are what the next Hein product will be and when I might be visiting a particular library next. Librarians are always interested in new content and new platform features, and fortunately Hein has been able to introduce both on a regular basis.

The exhibit hall can absolutely be a good place for librarians to share feedback or suggestions. We are fortunate that our customers are generous with both positive feedback and thoughtful critiques. Many of our best ideas have come directly from conversations with librarians at conferences and during library visits. Feedback we receive at conferences is shared with our product and editorial teams and often inspires future enhancements.

One example that stands out involved the Congressional Record. A librarian once asked whether it might be possible to connect the daily version of the Congressional Record with the bound version. That suggestion helped inspire the development of the Daily to Bound Locator within HeinOnline’s Congressional Documents collection. This is just one example of how customer ideas can lead to practical improvements.

What types of questions or library-specific issues do you feel are better handled via email or a scheduled meeting, rather than a quick walk-up at the booth?

There are times when a longer conversation is better handled outside the booth. At very large conferences such as AALL, there can be a steady flow of people waiting to speak with us. In those situations, it can be helpful to invite someone to attend one of our scheduled demonstrations or to continue the conversation later by email or in a meeting so that we can give the topic the time and attention it deserves.

How does a vendor evaluate a “successful” conference? Is it based on formal metrics, lead generation, or relationship building?

A successful conference usually includes several elements. New leads are always welcome, but relationship building and meaningful conversations are just as important. Those conversations are a big part of what makes conferences enjoyable for me personally. It is one of the reasons I have always enjoyed this part of the job. Some conferences involve seeing many of the same colleagues each year, while others introduce us to many new librarians. Ideally a conference includes a bit of both, along with the chance to reconnect with colleagues across the profession.

When someone approaches the booth and I have not met them before, I usually begin by asking about their library background and where they have worked or lived geographically. I am naturally curious about how people arrived in the profession, and those conversations often lead to interesting connections. I am based in Maplewood, New Jersey, and that seems to come up more often than you might expect. Over the course of a conference, I usually end up meeting a few people who have some connection to the area, which is always a nice way to start a conversation and make things a bit more personal.

What has been the most fun or rewarding product/feature you’ve gotten to demo for librarians in the past few years?

One of the demonstrations that I most enjoy involves the HeinOnline Venn diagram search feature. When people who have not seen it before watch how it works, they often appreciate how helpful it can be as a visual way to understand and refine search strategies. It is one of those features that tends to get a very immediate reaction. Similarly, whenever someone sees a HeinOnline collection that they did not realize was available, it often produces a genuine moment of discovery. Watching someone immediately recognize how a resource might help their researchers is always satisfying.

Do you get a chance to socialize outside of the conference, with either the librarians or reps from other companies?

Some of the most memorable moments at conferences happen during the social events in the evening. AALL karaoke nights have produced some entertaining performances, and more recently Hein has hosted trivia nights that have been a great deal of fun. Those events tend to be a good way to get to know people a bit better outside of the exhibit hall.

The community of information vendors is also fairly small, so many of us end up seeing one another regularly at conferences. Over time I have gotten to know many people from companies such as Bloomberg, Westlaw, Lexis, Edward Elgar, LLMC, and EBSCO. Seeing those familiar faces is another enjoyable part of the conference experience.

JUST FOR FUN

What has been/is your favorite convention city?

There are many wonderful conference cities, but Seattle has hosted some of my favorite meetings over the years. Chicago has also been a memorable one, and it usually draws a large attendance.

The burning question. Who picks the booth swag, and what has been the most popular item Hein has given away?

Booth swag is coordinated by our marketing team under the leadership of our Vice President Ben Boron. Over the years, Hein has offered a variety of items, but two standouts that people especially liked were the Hein Hippo and the blue smiley character. Some of the conference T-shirts have also been quite popular. It is always interesting to see which items people gravitate toward at different conferences. When something is especially popular, I like to think I had something to do with it, and maybe I did.

Thanks Steve!

William S. Hein and Company is a family-owned legal publisher based in Buffalo, New York. They work with law libraries to preserve and provide access to legal information. HeinOnline offers a large and growing collection of historical and current legal materials, including law journals, government documents, international resources, and many specialized legal collections. Hein has maintained strong relationships with the law library community for decades and has participated in AALL meetings and regional chapter events. Many improvements to HeinOnline over the years have come directly from suggestions made by librarians and researchers.