How to Get the Most out of a Business Conference
Make a list of people you want to meet., Connect with people before the conference., Choose which sessions you want to attend., Familiarize yourself with the conference venue., Volunteer to participate., Pack your essentials., Separate from your...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Make a list of people you want to meet.
Check the Facebook or Twitter page for the conference and see who’s attending.
Knowing who you want to network with beforehand will help you schedule your time and choose which sessions to attend., If you’re interested in meeting a specific speaker, email them or send them a message on social media letting them know you’re excited about their session.
They’ll appreciate the gesture and you’ll make a connection with them before the conference even starts., Look online for a conference schedule and read through the different sessions and speakers.
Choose sessions featuring speakers you want to network with or sessions that are focused on a hard skill that will make you better at your job., Look for a map of the venue online or reach out to conference organizers and ask for one.
You’ll have limited time at the conference and you don’t want to waste any of it getting lost or asking for directions., Email the conference organizers and ask if there are any roles you can fill.
Participating at the conference as a speaker or session facilitator will increase your visibility and help you network.Don’t commit to more than you can handle.
If you volunteer to do too much, you’ll miss out on important parts of the conference that your company was counting on you to attend.
Look at your schedule and allot a realistic amount of time to volunteering. , Bring your laptop and phone charger so your electronics don’t die on you.
Pack lots of business cards to hand out, along with any materials you might need to pitch a sale to prospective clients.Pack business casual clothes for the conference.
Bring a couple pairs of slacks or some dressy skirts.
Blazers, vests, and button-up shirts are also appropriate.
Check the conference schedule to see if there are any formal events planned.
If so, pack a suit or a nice dress., It may be tempting to stick together at a conference where you don’t know anyone else, but branch out and attend sessions on your own.
Your company will benefit from the different perspectives you get from networking independently.If your coworkers are insistent about spending time together at the conference, make time each day to meet up and discuss what you’ve learned and who you’ve encountered.
You could say to them: “I need to attend a session soon, but let’s meet up after and grab some dinner.” , Get in touch with the people you reached out to before the conference and see if they want to get dinner or grab a drink.
Use the face-to-face interaction to your advantage and give a friendly sales pitch.Don’t be pushy when you’re interacting with prospective clients.
Conferences are a great place to attract new customers, but focus on laying the foundation for the relationship during your first meeting.
In your meeting you could say something like: “I think I have a few helpful suggestions for your marketing strategy.
Feel free to reach out if you ever want to go over them together sometime!” , Attend sessions hosted by speakers you want to meet and go up to them after and introduce yourself.
Speakers are usually industry experts, and attending one of their sessions is an easy way to get your foot in the door with them.Don’t be nervous about approaching a speaker.
Go up to them and say something along the lines of: “I really enjoyed your presentation.
I’m definitely going to take some of the points you made back to my team.
I’d love to chat about these things further if you’ve got some free time.” , Don’t limit yourself to the strictly-business portions of the conference.
You’ll have an easier time networking in a casual social environment where everyone is more relaxed.Watch your alcohol consumption at social events.
Having a drink or two is fine, but avoid getting visibly intoxicated.
You don’t want to scare off potential clients or contacts. , Take detailed notes during each session you attend.
Write down the name and job title of whoever you meet and note whatever you discussed.
You can reference these notes later when you follow up with them.Keep your notes organized so you can make sense of them after the conference.
Use whatever note taking method works best for you.
Write down three key takeaways from each session you attend so you can reference them later when you’re going over the conference with your colleagues., Use them to make a detailed report of your conference experience.
Transfer the notes you took on prospective clients and individuals you networked with into your customer relationship management system.
Decide how to move forward based on the information you gathered., Reach out during the first few days after the conference so people still remember you.
If you promised someone at the conference you’d send them more information about your company, send it.Use the notes you took to reconnect with people more thoughtfully.
For example, in a followup email, you could write “Hi John, I enjoyed meeting you and discussing your marketing needs.
Here’s a sample of that content I was telling you we offer.” , Use the notes you took to share your top insights from the conference.
Connect members of your team with some of the people you networked with.Summarize what you learned in an email and send it off to the other members of your team.
If you have a lot of information to share, organize an in-person presentation where you can go over everything. -
Step 2: Connect with people before the conference.
-
Step 3: Choose which sessions you want to attend.
-
Step 4: Familiarize yourself with the conference venue.
-
Step 5: Volunteer to participate.
-
Step 6: Pack your essentials.
-
Step 7: Separate from your coworkers.
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Step 8: Meet with prospective clients.
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Step 9: Network with the speakers.
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Step 10: Attend one or two social events.
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Step 11: Take thorough notes.
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Step 12: Organize your notes.
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Step 13: Follow up with people you met.
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Step 14: Share what you learned with your team.
Detailed Guide
Check the Facebook or Twitter page for the conference and see who’s attending.
Knowing who you want to network with beforehand will help you schedule your time and choose which sessions to attend., If you’re interested in meeting a specific speaker, email them or send them a message on social media letting them know you’re excited about their session.
They’ll appreciate the gesture and you’ll make a connection with them before the conference even starts., Look online for a conference schedule and read through the different sessions and speakers.
Choose sessions featuring speakers you want to network with or sessions that are focused on a hard skill that will make you better at your job., Look for a map of the venue online or reach out to conference organizers and ask for one.
You’ll have limited time at the conference and you don’t want to waste any of it getting lost or asking for directions., Email the conference organizers and ask if there are any roles you can fill.
Participating at the conference as a speaker or session facilitator will increase your visibility and help you network.Don’t commit to more than you can handle.
If you volunteer to do too much, you’ll miss out on important parts of the conference that your company was counting on you to attend.
Look at your schedule and allot a realistic amount of time to volunteering. , Bring your laptop and phone charger so your electronics don’t die on you.
Pack lots of business cards to hand out, along with any materials you might need to pitch a sale to prospective clients.Pack business casual clothes for the conference.
Bring a couple pairs of slacks or some dressy skirts.
Blazers, vests, and button-up shirts are also appropriate.
Check the conference schedule to see if there are any formal events planned.
If so, pack a suit or a nice dress., It may be tempting to stick together at a conference where you don’t know anyone else, but branch out and attend sessions on your own.
Your company will benefit from the different perspectives you get from networking independently.If your coworkers are insistent about spending time together at the conference, make time each day to meet up and discuss what you’ve learned and who you’ve encountered.
You could say to them: “I need to attend a session soon, but let’s meet up after and grab some dinner.” , Get in touch with the people you reached out to before the conference and see if they want to get dinner or grab a drink.
Use the face-to-face interaction to your advantage and give a friendly sales pitch.Don’t be pushy when you’re interacting with prospective clients.
Conferences are a great place to attract new customers, but focus on laying the foundation for the relationship during your first meeting.
In your meeting you could say something like: “I think I have a few helpful suggestions for your marketing strategy.
Feel free to reach out if you ever want to go over them together sometime!” , Attend sessions hosted by speakers you want to meet and go up to them after and introduce yourself.
Speakers are usually industry experts, and attending one of their sessions is an easy way to get your foot in the door with them.Don’t be nervous about approaching a speaker.
Go up to them and say something along the lines of: “I really enjoyed your presentation.
I’m definitely going to take some of the points you made back to my team.
I’d love to chat about these things further if you’ve got some free time.” , Don’t limit yourself to the strictly-business portions of the conference.
You’ll have an easier time networking in a casual social environment where everyone is more relaxed.Watch your alcohol consumption at social events.
Having a drink or two is fine, but avoid getting visibly intoxicated.
You don’t want to scare off potential clients or contacts. , Take detailed notes during each session you attend.
Write down the name and job title of whoever you meet and note whatever you discussed.
You can reference these notes later when you follow up with them.Keep your notes organized so you can make sense of them after the conference.
Use whatever note taking method works best for you.
Write down three key takeaways from each session you attend so you can reference them later when you’re going over the conference with your colleagues., Use them to make a detailed report of your conference experience.
Transfer the notes you took on prospective clients and individuals you networked with into your customer relationship management system.
Decide how to move forward based on the information you gathered., Reach out during the first few days after the conference so people still remember you.
If you promised someone at the conference you’d send them more information about your company, send it.Use the notes you took to reconnect with people more thoughtfully.
For example, in a followup email, you could write “Hi John, I enjoyed meeting you and discussing your marketing needs.
Here’s a sample of that content I was telling you we offer.” , Use the notes you took to share your top insights from the conference.
Connect members of your team with some of the people you networked with.Summarize what you learned in an email and send it off to the other members of your team.
If you have a lot of information to share, organize an in-person presentation where you can go over everything.
About the Author
Frank Hill
Specializes in breaking down complex creative arts topics into simple steps.
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