How to Get the Most Out of Your Next Conference

Running a successful business will involve attending conferences at some point. Business events have a lot of opportunities for you including building professional connections, learning from industry experts, and promoting your brand. Your approach to conferences dictates how much you actually benefit from them.

If you intentionally prepare well for conferences and business events, you can gain information and experience that helps you take your company or organization to a whole new level. Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your next conference.

8 Ways to Get the Most Out of Business Events

1.    Know your “why” for attending.

To maximize your conference attendance, make sure you have specific goals. When you know what you hope to achieve, you can prioritize your time at the event. If you are representing your employer, a supervisor may offer a reason for you to attend. If they do not provide one, come up with one on your own.

Maybe you hope to find new clients, expand your professional network, or learn about the latest technology. If you find setting a goal difficult, think about where your business is currently, then ask yourself what would make it better. Once you answer that question, goal setting will be easier.

2.    Know who you want to meet.

Once you have created a goal, make a list of people you’d like to talk to at the event. Making a list before the conference increases the chances that you’ll achieve this objective. To get started, research the presenters and speakers. Once you know which ones are the best for helping you reach your business goals, plan on talking with them at some point during the conference.

You may want to reach out to more than the speakers. You can use social media hashtags to find out about others who may be attending the event.

3.    Plan your own conference agenda.

When you get the conference itinerary, plan the sessions you want to attend. This is a huge time-saver as you can spend your time at the conference working toward your goals, rather than trying to figure out where to go next. Plan ahead and map out the sessions you want to attend. You can also find out where the restrooms are located to save time between sessions. When you become familiar with the venue, you can also be helpful to other attendees, which is a great way to begin new relationships.

4.    Prepare to collect and distribute contact information.

Before you get to the conference, figure out a preferred method for collecting other people’s contact information. If you are well-organized, you may end up with lots of contacts by the end of the event. This can be helpful later. Plan a way to store business cards or create a spreadsheet. Having a system in place will help you follow-up with those you met at the event.

5.    Wear your business name tag to the conference.

Some conferences provide name badges to wear for the event. Whether or not they provide event name badges, bring your company name tag as well. Wearing your full-color logo name tag will introduce others to your brand and help them associate it with your products or services. It also boosts your brand recognition.

6.    Follow up after the event.

Don’t waste all the connections you made. Take time to follow up with the contacts you collected but do so gently. It’s important that you don’t come off as desperate for business connections. Start with professional yet friendly conversations via email, social media, or phone calls. Your goal should remain to form professional business connections that will last.

7.    Use what you learned.

Over a single conference, you may gather a lot of information. You’ll want to put it all to good use. Take time to go over any notes you compiled during the conference. Note any ideas that came to mind while you were in attendance. What items that you wrote down can help your business grow or move to the next stage of development. Gather useable information that would be beneficial to your team and discuss ideas with them. As you apply the things you learned at the conference, follow up with the people you learned from. This will provide you with a greater return on your investment.

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If you don’t already have a business name tag you can wear to the conference, now is a good time to order them! You can customize them with your logo and branding elements. Contact us today and let us help you create custom conference name tags or business name badges.