5 Real-World Tips to Make the Most Out of Professional Events

Just like it happens in many industries, the event season is round the corner for language professionals. It is an exciting time of the year!

These gatherings are all about professional growth, learning, and networking, but there's much more! The more you attend translation events, the more you feel at home and part of a family, don't you think?

In Spanish, we have a lovely term for these events: #tradusaraos, which roughly meaning "a fancy party for translators to talk and do all things translators love doing."

You will hear me use this word quite often ??

However, as cool as #tradusaraos are, they are a professional investment, as you do use your valuable (billable) time and money to travel and get the event tickets, so here's a few quick things you should always have in mind to make the most out of these events:

1) Make them part of your agenda

Attending industry events should definitely be part of your yearly strategy if you aim to grow your business, whether you are a freelancer or an LSP.

There are dozens of relevant events to choose from at both local and international level. Believe me when I say that attending my first professional translation event (ELIA Together 2016) was a game changer for me.

That was my turning point. ???

Since then, I have attended over 100 industry and university events all over the world, and I can certainly say that I would not have the reach, the clients and partnerships, and the depth of knowledge that I currently enjoy should I have decided to stay at home because I did not know anyone at all.

Everybody is welcome at translation events: shy and talkative people, experts and newbies! Just consider the following point when planning to attend :-)

2) Do your homework

Attending an event sounds nice, but it is MESSY.

You might feel overwhelmed by the amount of talks, spaces, content, and people moving around in a congress venue!

Do yourself a favor and draw a plan. Nowadays, many events provide an app that will help you check the names and details of the attendees, as well as the full programme along with networking and fringe events.

Other events rely on a website or submit the programme details via newsletter, but it is essential that you create a list of goals (contact X new LSPs, talk with X translators from my industry, learn about this tool or trend) before you hit the venue.

Write down concrete goals and work through your checklist! ????

Of course, make sense out of your goals and align them with your overall strategy. Time fllies at translation events! You will still have multiple chances to chat casually with attendees and relax from your everyday obligations.

3) Take notes. Plenty.

Whether you get a notebook from one of the event sponsors, or you bring your own pad, make sure to write down everything you can use once the event is over. Here's a few suggestions:

• Takeaways from presentations
• Names of tools showcased and features you might find useful
• Names of LSPs worth checking
• Names of attendees (there's MANY people, so don't feel sorry if you can't remember everyone's name)
• Topics for further research (sometimes triggered indirectly by the inner conversation you are having with yourself as you try to digest the contents of a presentation you are attending)
• Things you like about the event organization and things that can be improved (see #4).

Sorry to break it, but using your smartphone won't have the same effect.

For a start, if you are attending a presentation, it is most distracting for the speaker (and eventually other attendees) to see someone staring at a screen as if completely ignoring them. Sharing the occasional tweet or quick LinkedIn post is great, but focus on the live presentation!

Instead, use a notepad to jot down any highlights, action points or linked thoughts that might cross your mind. It shows appreciation and the thoughts will sit in your mind way more effectively.

4) Follow up

Yeah, you had a blast.

Here comes the event blues.

Just take your time to sweat it.

Feeling slightly down after an event means you really enjoyed it, just like coming back form holidays or a music festival.

However, once you are back in decent professional shape, it's time to reap what you've sown.

Make the most out of the momentum built at the event and reach out to attendees you talked with and people that were in your checklist (see #2) but could not meet.

• Send your feedback to the organization committee and help them build a better version of the event for the future.
• Be honest about it and have a constructive approach (nobody likes serial complainers).
• Suggest topics and changes in the event format if you think people will benefit from them. This is extremely valuable for the event hosts!
• Update your to-do list based on what you achieved at the event and proceed to #5!

5) Take action

Now you have a notepad packed with useful information, an enhanced network of contacts, and plenty of great memories to help you remember why the language industry is so amazing!

Time to put all that to good use: take action!

• Write to potential collaborations and follow up on the conversations you started during the event.
• Check the tools and decide whether it's worth investing your time and money in them, or find alternatives that better suit your needs.
• If you liked a particular presentation, thank the speaker and check if further information on the topic is available, whether directly from the very speaker of from attendees you discussed the live performance with.
• Check your notes, understand the trends, and see whether there are specific niches, services, or approaches worth exploring in the following weeks/months. Remember that if you don't shape your service portfolio yourself, you may find yourself at a loss in the likely case that the industry needs evolve, within and beyond hypes and patterns!

And remember: practice makes perfect. You may not be able to fully grasp all the benefits of an event in your first attempt, but you will definitely draw a baseline upon which you can only improve your strategy and make the most out of your time!

What is your top priority when you attend an industry event?

PS: No stock pictures have been used to illustrate this post whatsoever. Real life is less shiny but definitely better.