This is from "The Old Schoolhouse Devotional Newsletter " that I just received.  BTW - There is also a great message on WHY to attend homeschool conventions as well. 

New at homeschool conventions?  or even Not New?  Here are some great tips to  managing your time at a homeschool convention - Nancy

From Our Readers ~ Homeschool Convention Tips

By JulieBeth Lamb

1. Pray a lot about what type of schooling God would have you give your children in the upcoming year. If you are unsure, don't make any major decisions or purchases. There is always more time.
2. Have a teacher/administrator/student family conference about what you all expect and desire in the upcoming year.
3. Prayerfully look at your finances and create a school materials budget, and stick to it. Remember, God will provide what you need. If you can't afford it, God has a different plan.
4. Going with cash only is the best idea. If you are interested in something else, but it is out of your budget, ask the salesperson to give you the convention price if you order within a week (get it in writing). Go home and pray about it. If unsure, don't buy!
5. Get together with other friends or couples to discuss your school plans and discover what materials others have to give away, sell, or loan. Perhaps you will end up planning to do some classes together or start a co-op.
6. Look at LOTS of catalogs, websites, and friends' materials before you go, so you can have some ideas of what you want.
7. Go with a list of things you will be looking for, subject matter to be covered, items to look at and compare, and the price you are willing to pay. Be as specific as possible, when you can.
8. Bargain tables are a great place to pick up inexpensive, quality, wholesome reading material for your children.
9. Know what is available at public and church libraries, so you aren't buying things you can borrow.
10. Don't make any impulse buys. Pick up catalogs and brochures, make lots of notes in them, talk to salespeople, especially those who have homeschooled for many years, get a feel for these programs, and put sticky notes on the catalogs with your thoughts and wish lists.
11. Use the convention to buy from major publishers' catalogs so you can save postage. This is a great way to buy one or two things for which the shipping would often be as much as the materials, such as single units from a multiple-unit studies or individual workbooks. If they don't have the item you want in stock at the convention, they will usually send it to you free of postage. If they don't offer to do that, let them know you will only buy if they do.
12. Talk to other parents as you shop, see what things they seem excited about and ask them about them.
13. Try to buy mostly from vendors who are also homeschool veterans. They will better be able to answer all of your questions. They care most about your homeschool success, and this keeps our homeschooling dollars in the homeschool community.
14. Carefully choose a few seminars to attend. Don't go to every one and try to replicate it all in the upcoming year. You will only get discouraged and so will your students. Try to look at materials by speakers before you hear them speak. This will help you know what to expect. Plus, it will help you determine whether the materials will really enhance and enrich your homeschool and fit into your plans.
15. Find time to fellowship with the other homeschoolers in attendance. This is about the only time you will ever be surrounded by other families with similar values, goals and schooling choices. Make connections while at the conference.
16. Attend as a couple, if you can, so that you are both on the same page and can jointly take ownership of your decisions. It also helps to have someone with whom to sound out and discuss things.
17. Meet with some friends for lunch and discuss what you have seen and learned. Use this time to help make final decisions. Your friends know you and your children and will be an excellent resource. Make the final decision yourself, don't let them talk you into or out of something about which you feel strongly.
18. Bring your teens. Just as it is good for us to be in fellowship with many homeschoolers, it is good for our teens to spend time with other homeschooled teens and see there are many other out there like them. This also gives them a chance to give input about what you will use for school. They can benefit from many of the same classes that we do.
19. Have a good time! Go out to dinner with your spouse afterwards. Attend with a group of friends. Meet later in the week with friends to discuss what you have bought or are thinking about and help each other put it together. Some people even have mom sleepovers to plan their upcoming school year together.
20. Always know that there will be other opportunities to buy or learn whatever you miss at this convention. Relax, it is not a once in a lifetime opportunity.

JulieBeth Lamb thanks God for allowing these words to flow through her and prays they are a blessing to others as God has allowed them to bless her. She and her husband Rex are the leaders of a homeschool group in Oakdale, California. They have been homeschooling their five children since 1993 and have three still to graduate. Contact her at Cowgirl4Ever@clearwire.net