Are in-person industry conferences worth it? Yes, but …

“They’re just talking about the same old stuff again this year. Blah, blah, blah.” That is a rough approximation of a phone call I overheard during a break at a conference I was finding quite informative. Why was there such a disconnect between my experience and the other attendee? I can only guess, but in most cases, to get value out of an experience takes some effort. Conferences are no exception to that rule.

??TLDR: Are conferences worth it?

Yes, but ... you must put some effort into attending by doing three things:

1. Planning ahead
2. Being fully engaged during the conference
3. Following up after the event

How do you do those three things? Keep reading!

Getting the most out of your time

I attend at least five industry events in person every year. One thing always stands out to me right away: passive attendees. These people don’t take any notes. They don’t participate in social media or event feeds. They are on their phones sorting through email. They sit in sessions without really listening to speakers.

In short, they are disengaged. Passive.

Here is my totally unscientific breakdown of most conference attendees.

• 10% are distracted and disengaged. Why are they even attending? These folks are unlikely to come back in future years.
• 20% are passively participating. Maybe picking up a few insights along the way. Low effort, but they are getting something out of being there.
• 60% are actively participating. They listen to sessions, meet other people, and seem to get good value out of the event. They’ll most likely return next year.
• 10% are highly engaged, fully participating in just about everything. They help promote the conference before, during and after the event. Not only will they be back, but they’ll bring others with them. They’re also probably your most consistent content providers for conference sessions.

I think you should aim to at least be in that 60% group. How? Keep reading.

Fully engaging in your conference experience

Taking the following actions will help you maximize the value of attending a conference:

• If possible, arrange your travel so that you can attend each full day of the conference.
• Clear your work calendar as much as you can and set an out-of-office notification.
• Limit checking email to breaks.
• Plan your agenda ahead of time to select sessions that will be of the most value to you.
• Attend the keynotes. These sessions and speakers are generally well-vetted. Some keynotes I’ve attended have been great. None have been bad.
• Change plans as needed. Sometimes, I’ll quickly realize that a session isn’t going to deliver what I expected. Don’t be afraid to step out and try something else happening at the same time.
• Download slides from presentations that you found valuable.
• Schedule any follow-up meetings with new connections ASAP.

??Bonus tip: Share what you learn with others. This is especially important for leaders to do. Don’t keep all the knowledge to yourself!

Take it up a notch – pre and post conference strategy

So, what’s the key to moving from the 60% to the top 10% of engaged attendees? I think it's fully embracing the opportunity to promote the conference before, during and after the event.

Here are a few actions to consider.

• Share a preview about the event. If you’re speaking promote your session!
• Offer your top insights each day on your social media accounts.
• Interact and support others who are sharing and promoting the event.
• If invited to take part in a video, podcast or other content opportunity, do it!

Another consideration – be a presenter!

Going back to the start of this article, I remember thinking a good response to the person complaining would have been, “what interesting topic do you have to present?”

A great way to make any conference even better is for you to present on a topic. There is no more impactful way to be fully involved in the content than to contribute to it.

Presenting is also great for networking and supporting your professional development.

Measuring ROI on conference attendance

OK, here is the most difficult part. Can you measure the ROI of attending a conference? Should you even try?

This is a tough one for anyone who is not actively soliciting business at an event, but I’ve come up with what I think is a decent calculation. I ask myself, “did I get at least one idea that I can implement that is worth the cost of the conference?"

I’ve rarely answered no to that question. The value might be in a new process for the team that saves time, an engagement strategy for customers, or a campaign that drives business. Over time, it might be a personal connection that pays off with way more value than the cost of the event.

Most often, I get at least a handful of ideas that become concrete actions.

There is also another type of ROI you get from conference attendance. It's the value of realizing that you’re not facing unique challenges. Hearing about experiences from others can be helpful at finding solutions, developing contacts for advice or just level-setting your own expectations.

Other voices - are conferences worth it?

I recently launched a survey on this topic to see what people in my network had to say. Of the 66 people who responded, 71% said conferences are worth it, 26% said somewhere in between and 3% felt they were not worth it. Here are a few comments that stood out to me.

"Definitely! I’ve attended numerous local, national, and international communication conferences. I found them to be energizing (up to 1,000 or 2,000 communicators in one room!), fun, and informative. There’s no better way to stay on top of your craft than to attend a conference in person." Tom Unger, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA

"Not all conferences are the same. Some are well-organized, have strong programming, and inherently lend themselves to learning, networking, etc. Others are in expensive locations, require >5 hours of travel, have stale formats/speakers/panels, etc. Be strategic and intentional with your plans, too. Know who you want to meet and what you want to learn ahead of time." James A. Gardner

"It depends on the conference of course, but I say unequivocally that attending healthcare marketing/ strategy/ innovation conferences are worth every penny." Christina Deidesheimer, MS

Check out more results from the survey here .

????My bottom line

If you’re not engaged, you won’t get much value out of attending any event – no matter how well it’s planned and how effective the speakers are.

Be active, not passive.

It takes a bit of effort, but it makes a world of difference.

#conferences #learning #professionaldevelopment