As a business owner and entrepreneur I always love going to conferences. I meet new people, I learn about new technology, and go home feeling inspired.
But then what?
After the glow of an event, it’s easy to forget what you learned, avoid implementing the latest technology, and lose the inspiration during the day-to-day of the office.
At Big Omaha this year, or whatever your next conference may be, make a pact to change that. This is the conference that you will win! Here’s how:
Pre-Conference
1. Set a Realistic Goal
Before you can win, you have to know what you want to achieve. Make it realistic and quantifiable. I like to narrow in to the number of people I want to talk with and types of information I want to learn. This year for example, it’s meet three new people who could partner with our forthcoming 9 Clouds Academy and gain one new insight into leading our team and one new insight into launching a product.
Everything else is a bonus. I know I will meet many more people, but at the very least, I can go home knowing I met my goal and found value at the conference.
2. Know Who’s There
Before the event, find out who is attending and then decide who you most want to meet or speak with. You can search the Twitter hashtag to see who is talking about the conference before it starts. You can check Lanyrd to find out who’s registered. Better yet, the conference may have a pre-conference website with a list of attendees. In Big Omaha’s case, BigOmahWho connects you to the faces of your conference mates ahead of time.
3. Find the Gear, Apps and Story
You don’t want to be at the conference missing that essential cord or business card. Make sure you have what you need. Our checklist includes:
- Business cards – Old-school still works
- Up-to-date bios on your social media profiles
- A solid 10 second elevator pitch – Why do you do what you do?
- Mophie – An extra charge for your phone if your tweets start draining your battery
- CardMunch - Take a photo of the business cards you get and you’ll automatically connect to the contacts on LinkedIn. No more losing important business cards
- Dwolla - Send or receive money. If you find a new customer or just want to buy someone lunch, you can quickly do so from your phone
- A Twitter account and search for the conference hashtag
During the Conference
4. Welcome Serendipity
At the conference, it’s important to reach out your hand and say hello. Start conversations or join conversations whenever you can because the more people you talk to, the more likely you’ll run in to someone who can help your business.
When those conversations start, or when you find one of the people you wanted to talk with, focus on that. Sure you might miss part of a session or lunch, but that conversation is what matters. That is why you are here.
Better yet, if there is someone you really want to speak with and have some one-on-one time with, schedule a talk with them during a session. It will be quieter and easier to focus. Remember in my case I only have to learn a few things, so if I miss a session I can still win.
To encourage serendipity, make sure to grab a copy of the Big Omaha infographic from infographic design company Lemonly. That will help you identify trends and know who’s around you!
5. Ask How You Can Help
Most people won’t be customers, some might be partners, but everyone there knows someone who could be your customer or partner. Instead of looking at all the attendees as targets, ask people you speak with how you can help. You will build trust and most likely they’ll ask how they can help you as well. That’s when you can ask them to introduce you to anyone they know who needs what you do.
6. Ask Questions
I’m also stunned at how few people stand up to the microphone to ask a question. It’s a chance to not only have a one-on-one conversation with the speakers, but also to introduce yourself to the entire conference. Say your name, your company, and what you do, and then ask an insightful question. You’ll be amazed at how many people will remember you.
After the Conference
7. Follow-up
The follow-up is the most important and most forgotten part of the conference. Go through the cards you took photos of on CardMunch and write people back. I recommend five handwritten notes to the five people that either most inspired you or that you have the best chance of working with. You’ll help them remember you from the sea of people they met at the conference and help you take action on that relationship instead of adding them to your thousands of online contacts.
8. Did I Mention Follow-Up?
9. Write a Roundup for Yourself or Others
In the days following the conference, continue to follow the hashtag on Twitter as many people will rehash the conference and write follow-up posts. Do it yourself. You don’t even have to post it on a blog, but if you can write your two or three biggest takeaways, you are telling the world (and yourself) what you should implement immediately after the conference.
The accountability from saying what you learned and how you will use it will help you make a change based on your new knowledge and might even help others who weren’t at the conference, like your colleagues or employees, benefit from your insight and inspiration.
Plus there’s a good chance your post will be shared and more people will find you after the conference. I mean, you’re reading this now aren’t you?
10. Calculate Your ROI
As a data-based marketing company, we love analytics and tracking everything we do. After the conference, think through the relationships you created, the ideas you generated and the ways you will change your business based on the conference. What was the value to you for all of that?
I know when I go to Big Omaha, I find that just meeting people in the region and around the country that help answer my questions and share what I’m doing is worth the price of admission. Pile on the new ideas and information and I have a very positive ROI for both myself and 9 Clouds. If you find otherwise, then maybe there are other conferences that will better fit your needs next year.
Enjoy Big O (or your next conference)
Share your tips in the comments to help everyone get the most from Big Omaha or the next conference they attend. Of course, find one of the 9 Clouds team members like (Sarah, John Nelson or me) in Omaha and say hi! I hope we make your list of people to talk to!
Images: Oxidedesign, BigOmaWho, Dwolla, Lemon.ly, Silicon Prairie News
