Your GovCon Events Guide

Your Guide for Government Contracting Events

Your success is at the heart of every GovCon event you attend, and with the right approach, these gatherings can unlock powerful growth opportunities. Whether it’s forging strategic partnerships or driving your business goals forward, the potential is yours to seize.

At Trident, we’re here to help. From setting clear goals to creating actionable plans and following up, we provide expert advice and proven strategies to ensure every event you attend delivers meaningful results.

INTRODUCING

Trident's Events Guide

What to Do Before the Event

Many people don’t realize that the bulk of event work is spent on pre-work (about 40% of your time and budget.) That includes registration, travel and lodging, setting up planning pages, coordinating with attendees, conducting attendee research, preparing marketing materials, reaching out to clients and colleagues to set up meetings, etc. These are the most important steps you can take to ensure an event doesn’t feel like a waste of time. Here are four steps to take before the event to ensure the event leads to business growth:

Create an event planning page (or collaboration site) that includes:
Conduct Attendee/Participant Research
Get Your Elevator Pitch Ready
Advertise your attendance

What to Do at the Event

Bring the company experts or leaders to the event to ensure potential customers are meeting with those most knowledgeable about the business and technology.
Bring note-takers, helpers, and event buddies (actual humans who can take notes and remind you of follow-up actions and help divide and conquer if you have to meet with multiple people at once). The event buddy system helps ensure you cover as much ground as possible. They can also help you connect with people you otherwise might not have a good connection with.
Post on social media during the event (if possible) – make yourself relevant in the field/industry
Take great notes. Who did you meet? What would you follow up with them about?
Schedule follow-up meetings then and there when possible. Or connect with them immediately on LinkedIn and connect virtually (Note: If you use the LinkedIn mobile app, be sure to download the unique QR code for your profile to make it even easier to connect). This helps you not only remember what you discussed but also keeps the conversation going.
Walk around and talk to people! This is an excellent opportunity to try and talk to people you DON’T know. You never know when the next connection could occur … it may be at the line or that free drink.
Attend happy hours and other networking events. We know events are often a get-in/get-out situation, but try to attend the after-hours events. The atmosphere is more relaxed, and you can have business and non-business-related conversations that could lead to more business. Find an event buddy (i.e., another work colleague) to be your BD wingman (or woman) at the networking events; it feels less awkward than standing there alone.

What to Do After the Event

Conduct an internal debrief
Start Follow-Up Campaign

And last but not least, don’t forget to have fun at the event! Sure, it’s work, but enjoy talking to people and learning new things.

Read our in-depth blog with insights and tips from our event coordinator.

Noteworthy Events for 2026

*Updated Jan. 16, 2026

JANUARY 2026

Jan. 6-9, 2025: Consumer Electronics Show (CES) (Las Vegas, NV) – Learn more and register here
Jan. 8, 2026: Naval Submarine League 43^rd Annual Symposium & Industry Update (Reston, VA) – Learn more and register here
Jan. 9: GSA OSDBU WEBINAR - How a Subcontracting Plan Can Benefit You! (Virtual) – Learn more and register here
Jan. 12, 2026: Federal Government Contractors Winter Soiree Networking Evening (Washington, D.C.) – Learn more and register here (🌟 Look for Trident’s Jennifer Wineinger and Karen Haddock at this event! 🌟)
Jan. 12-16, 2026: AIAA SciTech Forum (Orlando, FL) – Learn more and register here
Jan. 13-15, 2026: Surface Navy Association 38^th Surface Navy National Symposium (Arlington, VA) – Learn more here
Jan. 15, 2026: AFCEA NOVA Army IT Day (McLean, VA) – Learn more and register here
Jan. 20, 2026: 2026 Capitol Hill Defense Outlook Summit (Washington, D.C.) – Learn more and register here
Jan. 21, 2026: NASA OSBP Town Hall (virtual) – Learn more and register here
Jan. 21, 2026: Army Office of Small Business Virtual Matchmaking (Virtual) – Learn more here
Jan. 23, 2026: 2026 U.S. Coast Guard Outlook Summit (Reston, VA) – Learn more and register here
Jan. 26-28, 2026: National Small Business Conference (Nashville, TN) – Learn more and register here
Jan. 28, 2026: Think Gov 2026 (Washington, D.C.) – Learn more and register here
Jan. 28, 2026: ACC-APG MAPS Pre-Solicitation Walk-Through (APG, MD and virtual) – Learn more and register here
Jan. 28-29, 2026: Military Virtual Training & Simulation Summit 2026 (Orlando, FL) – Learn more and register here
Jan. 29, 2026: 2026 Defense R&D Summit (McLean, VA) – Learn more and register here
Jan. 29, 2026: GSA Assisted Acquisition Services (AAS) Industry Day - FAS Acquisition & Ordering Systems (AOS) (Virtual) – Learn more and register here

FEBURARY 2026

Feb. (TBD) 2026: Industry Day FY25-30 Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) (Fort Drum, NY) – Learn more here
Feb. 4-5, 2026: NAWCWD Industry Day Event (now called California Contracting / Acquisition/ Procurement (C-CAP) Expo) (Ridgecrest, CA) – Learn more and register here
Feb. 5, 2026: Department of the Air Force (DAF) Science and Technology (S&T) (Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH) – Learn more here
Feb. 10-11, 2026: Missile Defense Agency Small Business Conference (Huntsville, AL) Previously scheduled October 21-22 – Learn more here
Feb. 10-12, 2026: West 2026 (San Diego, CA) – Learn more and register here (🌟 Look for Trident’s Alexis Romero at this event! 🌟)
Feb. 18, 2026: Fed Tech Priorities 2026 (Washington, D.C.) – Learn more and register here
Feb. 25, 2026: PEO IWS Classified Industry Day 2026 (Laurel, MD area) – Learn more here
Feb. 26: 2026 GovCon Executive Leadership Summit (Location TBA) – Learn more and register here

MARCH 2026

Mar. 12, 2026: AFCEA NOVA Naval IT Day 2026 Enabling the Naval Force: Data, Digital, and Decision Advantage (Chantilly, VA) – (Originally scheduled for October 30^th, moved to March) – Learn more and register here
March 16-17, 2026: 2026 Air Force Contracting Summit (Reston, VA) – Learn more and register here
March 19, 2026: 2026 Artificial Intelligence Summit (Location TBA) – Learn more and register here
Mar. 23-25, 2026: Phoenix Challenge; Information Operations, Evolving for Strategic Dominance (Arlington, VA) – Learn more and register here

APRIL 2026

MAY 2026

May 6-7, 2026: 2026 Capitol Hill Pacific Defense Summit (Washington, D.C.) – Learn more and register here
May 18-21, 2026: SOF Week 2026 (Tampa, FL) – Learn more and register here