The opportunity to attend a business conference is quite exciting. You get to learn new insights, connect with industry leaders, and find new opportunities for your professional or business growth.
However, to make the most of this golden opportunity, you must plan every step ahead of time. This doesn’t just imply donning the right outfit or grooming yourself to the nines.
So, embrace these strategies to maximize the value of your experience!
Set your goals and plan well
You must have a clear aim when attending the conference. Identify the primary cause behind attending the event and plan to act accordingly.
Let’s know some goals and next steps here. If you want to:
- Seek a job: Connect with employers and hiring managers within your niche who are currently hiring.
- Grow your network: Invite 1-2 people for a coffee on all days of the conference.
- Seek strategies for work/business: Connect with industry experts, listen to them, and seek assistance.
- Seek prospective clients/customers: Share the word about your business offering and innovative solutions with others.
- Look for prospective employees: Seek budding experts in specified industries and connect.
Without a goal or action plan, you will feel out of place and not be able to make the best use of your time.
You must also check the schedule – either print it or download it on your device. Plan a schedule where you can join sessions that interest you. You must also keep some time for networking.
Grab everything necessary
Make sure you’re prepared for the big day with every important tool and gadget. Here are a few things to carry!
Devices
You don’t want to take notes manually throughout the conference. Instead, carry a smartphone, tab, and/or laptop to swiftly note down all information. You must also carry chargers and power banks for your respective devices.
Portable Wi-Fi
Avoid logging into the public Wi-Fi due to safety concerns. Instead, use your phone’s internet or a portable Wi-Fi for network coverage.
Business Cards
If you carry a stack of traditional business cards, you might fall short. Imagine sharing your contact on a piece of scrap paper instead of someone whose connection is valuable to you!
Avoid such embarrassing situations by switching to metal digital business cards. You only need to get one card and digitally share your contact information directly to their phone!
Unlike traditional cards, they don’t add to pollution and ensure others never lose your contact details.
Network in full swing
Business conferences are the prime location to network. In fact, over 70% of people say that networking boosts career advancement chances!
So, research the attendees and identify whom you want to connect with. Learn about their interest from their social media profiles to impress them.
Reach the conference venue much earlier. Seek like-minded people and connect with professionals who can be potential business collaborators, partners, and so on.
Some tips to network smartly are:
- Appear approachable with a warm smile and open body language. Greet everyone with a handshake and polite nod.
- Seek others’ assistance and offer your guidance to strengthen connections.
- Share your business card and compliment others’ cards.
Participate actively during sessions
Get your session badge early and make small talk with others. Attend the session, pay attention to the speaker, and take notes. If you have doubts, ask questions and partake in discussions.
It will help you learn and become more prominent to other attendees. This boosts the chances of post-session conversations.
Participate in any social event related to the conference. These also offer great networking opportunities.
Don’t forget the exhibitor booths to learn about relevant business offering and vendors. If they hold contests, they participate to connect with more people.
Reflect on information
After the conference events, go through all your takeaways and notes. Identify how you can apply your newly-earned knowledge in your professional life.
You can write a report on what you learned from the conference. This ensures that you won’t forget any key element. You can also use this later to educate your team on ways to implement the knowledge.
Next, go through your new connections and follow up after the conference. Send a custom text message or email to thank them for their time and that you’d like to connect with them further. This will fortify your connection more!
Conclusion
With these tips, you and your entire team (even if they don’t attend) will learn a lot from the conference. So, be active, focus, and chase growth!
