3 Tips For The Successful Conference Goer!

Ah, the smell of a #conference center in the morning. #Tradeshow display packaging, old coffee cups left on #booth tables, the sounds of hungover salespeople, and nervous #presenters mouthing their speeches silently to themselves. Glorious.

Yep, it's #convention and tradeshow season again. It seems odd to be back after such a long hiatus because of the pandemic. But here we are, swimming along the endless aisles of over-budgeted #displays, candy bowls, disgarded brochures, and logo lanyards. So here's my question - why do we go? Why do YOU go?

Tradeshows, conferences, and conventions can be a whirlwind of information, new prospects, and productive conversation. But they can also be a colossally expensive waste of time. Here are 3 tips for the successful conference goer that I hope can help you get more out of your events.

1.Planning. As with anything else in your business, good planning and strategy are key to your success. Spend some time with the event materials and try to identify key people, companies, or industry leaders you'd like most to meet. Most events put out a #panelist list with the agenda and floor layout of their tradeshow space. If you spend a little time researching the heavy hitters, contacting them in advance to set up meetings, and then being clear with your message and intentions, you'll do well!

About that "message," always remember this - "Be Bright, Be Brief, and Be Gone!" Get in, get to it, and get out - have any information you are presenting clearly arranged and PERSONALIZE it! Yep, that's all in caps on purpose. When people are pitching to me with nauseatingly long and regurgitated slide decks and videos I just want to fake an emergency root canal and bail. Put yourself in their position, and determine whether you're answering their number one question - what's in this for ME? Where is the value? Why are you talking to me?

Engage your "marks" with good conversation, relevant (to them) information and a value-added proposal about the next steps. Be available to them for questions, and, for all that's holy, please don't SELL to them! If I'm your mark, I need to get to know you - like who you are and what you're selling - and then trust that you can deliver. That comes with patience, cultivation, and follow-through - on their terms, not yours.

2.Visibility. Although you're not likely to get paid for it, volunteering to assist with presentations, moderate discussion groups, or serving on a panel, you will be visible! #Visibility is the first step toward credibility and then - say it with me, BNIers, #PROFITABILITY! Business Network International (#BNI) calls this, the VCP method, and it's incredibly effective.

One of the reasons I always volunteer for #leadership positions with #organizations or events is visibility (except for boards of directors, no one ever sees them). Conferences regularly put out a call for speakers, presenters, panelists, and moderators - answer the call! Volunteer your services in any position for which you feel qualified and that might put you in front of a lot of people. Just doing the job gives you credibility with the attendees, reinforced by your activity on the stage.

In my opinion, unless you're holding a private #event during the conference, volunteering for these panels is probably the single best way to demonstrate your credibility. Plus, you can promote your participation in advance, that's great #PR for your company and your personal brand!

3.Follow-Up. My first tip for following up after one of these events is don't go there as a card collector. You know whom I'm talking about - those guys who buzz from booth to booth like a bee in a bed of flowers, collecting business cards and brochures to bring it all back to the hive and clog everyone's inbox with sales spam the next day. Don't be that person! Ever! If you think that's how you should be doing it, go back to point number 1.

Follow-up should be just as strategic as the meetings you arranged or the contacts you made. I hope you took good notes during your meetings because that information is vital at this point. What did you talk about and with whom? What were the key points of each conversation? Did you identify pain points for each prospect and listen closely to their concerns? If so, you should have some good information.

When you reach out to each of your #prospects, do so politely and casually. Again, and I can't emphasize this enough, DO NOT TRY TO #SELL TO THEM. I know, you hard-line sales junkies out there are cringing, but, trust me. Be a resource, and be thankful and thoughtful when you speak to them.

Never contact them sooner than 72 hours after the first business day following the event. No one wants that bombardment when they're still trying to settle back into their routine. Give them a break. Besides, you should have taken that time to review all of the information you collected and #strategize about whom to contact first and what to say to them.

How to contact them is also important. If you did everything I mentioned in tip number 1, you had a memorable conversation and left them interested in speaking again. If not, well stop reading this and quit your job - you shouldn't be in sales. Otherwise, start with an email just to say thanks for their time and request an in-person, video conference, or telephone call, at their convenience.

Finally, remember to be brief with your communication at first - a sentence or two to say hello, thanks, and request another meeting. That's it. Remember to be on their clock, at their convenience - I know, I've said something similar to that several times in this piece, but it's worth repeating. If you want their attention, you need to make sure they understand you value their time and be respectful.

We have a saying around here at GLD Communications - Be Available, Be Strategic, Be Patient, Be Versatile. If you apply that to your conference planning, you'll do well. Good luck, and try to stay away from the cocktail mixer - that never ends well.