No business traveler would be without a handy smartphone, Blackberry and a computer—all of which are prime targets for thieves as the convention and trade show season gets underway.
Thousands of business travelers across the country are gearing up for a busy events schedule as they descend upon crowded hotel, exhibition, and convention center venues.
Being productive while away from the office is essential and often requires bringing these devices and gadgets to work virtually.
Trade show and conference meeting planners also encourage attendee engagement by live blogging, tweeting, sharing photos and video recording sessions. In spite of the benefits that come from traveling with tech gear, keeping gadgets safe and secure before, during and after can be a challenge.
Trade show and conference attendees often let their guards down as they mingle, network and socialize with clients, vendors, colleagues and prospects. That makes trade show and conference season a prime time to lose gadgets. Protect Your Bubble, a gadget, laptop and mobile insurance specialty provider, offers ten security tips for attendees to keep their tech essentials safe and protected:
1. Never leave valuables in open unguarded locations such as at a trade show booth after hours or a meeting room between sessions.
2. Put a Do Not Disturb sign on hotel doors to deter intruders and unwelcome guests.
3. Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security by the security guards at the venue. Their job is to insure the safety and legitimacy of attendees, not a guest’s personal belongings.
4. Always secure gadgets in the hotel safe or a room safe—not in a hotel baggage store room.
5. Ensure all data is backed up to the cloud or to an external hard drive before starting a trip.
6. Encrypt data so in the event of theft all sensitive information is safe.
7. Invest in affordable gadget and mobile insurance so devices can be replaced quickly in the event of a loss.
8. Be vigilant and always do a sweep of the hotel room, backseat of the cab and airport security screening areas to avoid leaving any items behind.
9. Downplay the presence of devices by carrying them in non-traditional laptop bags and cases.
10. Conference goers should remove their badge or nametag outside of the venue so thieves won’t mistake them for an easy mark. When it comes to a digital life, adopting a little paranoia can be a good thing for conference goers and business travelers this season.
