Conference Tips for Success. Don't Attend Another Conference Until You Listen to This.

Access tips for attending and making the most of conferences.
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Transcript

00:02.58
wearabletakeover
We're back folks for another episode of where but takeover how are you? Well let me just tell you for those of you that may be considering attending cs or south by southwest or any other conference that is coming up in the new Year this is the episode for you and I'm coming off of a hi from attending the major major conference in Portugal that was sponsored by the black innovation alliance I went with a delegation to web summit and I I was so excited to meet so many founders from around the world. Um, and many other organizations and ecosystems that are helping to develop and stimulate innovation. But anyway, let me tell you this attending conferences might be 1 of the best things you can do for your career and you'll be able to learn about industry trends. Gain some new skills and make all kinds of new connections and most people get the wrong idea of a conference they might show up but they might sit out the whole session and hope to learn something new and while it is important to listen and understand what the speaker has to say there are other factors at play. That can benefit you beyond the sessions content. So in this video and also in this episode of wearable takeover whether you're watching it on Youtube or listening to it on any of your major podcasting platforms I'm going to tell you all of the important things you need to keep in mind before you sign up for your next conference.

01:34.52
wearabletakeover
And let me assure you by the time you are done with this episode. You will be able to get one hundred and ten percent out of the session. So let's get into it number one go a little early and get noticed usually before a conference starts or a particular session some attendees come before. To meet one another and they'll network in general and to be honest, it is the best time to be at a close event because everyone is fresh and they're full of energy and you can utilize that time to introduce yourself with the speaker organizers or other participants to connect with them so during. This preconference time people interact with each other. You can drop or scan your business cards and connect with them on social media like Linkedin and then interact later. So if you play your cards right? You might be able to find future prospects the second tip I have is to sleep. Seriously sleep. This one is not just a conference tip but a pro-life tip and I know this can be hard to do with all the excitement especially when you have international attendees but to be able to get the best out of your day you need to be well rested and nothing recharges your batteries better than a good night's sleep now I could recommend. Can recommend some wearable tech products that can help you with that sleeping process and maybe I'll link them below or you may want to just stay tuned or look for one of our other wearable tech gift guides. But when we talk about sleep when you're well rested. You will be full of energy and that energy shows when you speak.

03:08.90
wearabletakeover
You interact and participate and you're going to stand out amongst others and people will want to get in touch with you moreover, you'll be able to learn from the speakers and be more comfortable meeting a bunch of new people number 3 if you can't afford it by all means necessary stay at the conference hotel. The conference hotel is where most conference attendees and speakers will be staying and so it gives you more opportunities to network with the attendees and that's just logic so staying at a conference hotel might not get you 100 extra connections but it doesn't need to. Because if it leads to splitting an uber back and from a happy hour or perhaps maybe some silence fill and small talk about the shampoo. Those little moments can be worth it. It's all about meeting the right people. Okay number 4 take pictures with other attendees for easy social media content. You might have seen some of my content when when last year I was in New York at the at some of the conferences there based on innovation. So your networking and your business cars disbursement will be of no use. If you cannot interact or contact with those folks later whether it be in small activities on social media like Linkedin or to create a bot and that is deeper than just saying hey I met a person at a conference a couple of months ago and I'm not sure if they're going to recognize me anymore.

04:32.60
wearabletakeover
Okay, so a super simple way is to take pictures with other attendees who you want to stay in touch with and then post your pictures with them on your account and maybe tag them or mention the event that you went to this will not only make you remember them but it will make you a part of their online social circle. Ah, pro tip here is that a big part of your resume now is your Linkedin profile and if someone wants to hire you. They definitely look up your profile to see if you will be worth their salt number 5 have an elevator pitch.

05:04.28
wearabletakeover
Now this is not just you know for founders who often have to pitch but everyone should have an elevator pitch and a lot of times you hear a lot of branding experts talk about this too. You're going to get asked. What do you do? an average of ninety bazillion times at any given conference and so you want to make sure that you have a good answer. Rehearse your elevator pitch now what makes a good elevator pitch. You want your pitch to be clear descriptive and emotional How do you do that? Well basically you want to see what you do in simple terms that demonstrate why it matters I've been talking to my founders to um, rehearse and to. Consider and and think about what is your why and why so feel free to work on an example or a short story and examples that can help you stick in. People's heads number 6 eat lunch with people. Lunch might be the easiest time to connect with new people. And at lunch everyone is naturally milling around without much direction. Um, they're looking for places to sit and to eat and all you need to do is walk up to a table that's starting to gather people and ask do you mind if I join you or is this seat taken but do keep in mind that sometimes. You'll go into a conference with specific goals to network with specific people or build partnerships in this context, you may be scheduling lunches in advance and you won't need to walk up to people cold. Okay I had an experience where I did this exercise and.

06:36.85
wearabletakeover
Someone was to see open and ended up meeting a wonderful connection from Australia so don't minimize that too number 7 wear layers and ladies comfy shoes. Conference centers are often over air conditioned so bring an extra layer just in case. And if you get cold and don't have something extra to put on. You might find some wom swag in the exhibit hall exhibitors often give out t-shirts but don't let a bad pair of shoes send you back to the hotel early. So when you're at an event or a conference where you see a lot of potential for yourself to grow and connect with good people. You don't want to skip a beat and so if the session is good. You will feel like you're on vacation which is mostly planned by someone else. So if you don't have a good pair of flat shoes or comfortable shoes. Make sure you put that on your must have shopping list for the new Year number 8 connect quickly and get rid of that pile of cards or make sure you're making use of those digital cards. So business cards are like Brett and so they get stale quickly after a few days. You'll forget what you talked about after a week or 2 you'll forget how you met them completely. It just happens. We're human. We're not robots yet so you have just a few days to connect with that person over email. So make sure you're reaching out quickly and if they gave you instructions like I often do please make sure you follow those instructions. Um, especially if they're pointing out things in their digital card. Nothing.

08:08.20
wearabletakeover
Says that you don't care what that person said if you don't follow the instructions or don't schedule that meeting in the way that they told you to do so okay, so as you do look for opportunities when you're connecting with those people from the conference to share an article or a post that's relevant to the conversation that you had with them. So if you shared something you wrote and they liked it politely offer to add them to your newsletter list. Smart networks um, they know that their email list is a key way to keep in touch. So if you still have cards sitting under your monitor after a week or 2 or if you haven't fully accepted a digital business card. Make sure you connect with them on Linkedin. Um, and then you don't move on still take a minute to mention that you enjoyed meeting with them at the event so a custom linkedin invitation only takes a minute and it makes a huge difference oftentimes I do not accept Linkedin invitations. If they do not have a message and so as well as if I don't know who they are connected with in my particular network so you know here it is I'm sure following you know these tips that I provided and combining them with some of your current experiences while attending the conference will make a difference. And remember you don't have to be the elephant in the room to get noticed. Okay, but only do enough so that people can remember can recall you to something something that ah ah, they can recall from an activity that you both engaged in or if you mentioned something that resonates with them.

09:37.79
wearabletakeover
Introduce yourself in a way that leaves a Mark Thanks so much for taking the time out to watch this video I'm sure you will enjoy your next conference I hope to see you in the next one and if you would like me to be 1 of your conference speakers please make sure you go to my website lasiagreenwaite.com and follow the booking directions there. You'll also see my calendar until next time take care.