September and October are big conference months. No matter what time of year you’re attending an event whether a conference, tradeshow or networking mixer, make sure you have an action plan and a positive mindset.
Today, I’m sharing 5 tips for conference and event goers to help you have the best event experience possible. Because let’s face it, we have the power to decide what our experience will be, right?
Let’s do this!
Have an event goal in mind. This goes beyond having an agenda. Having a goal for each event you attend means you value your time and resources. We’re working smarter, not harder.
With a goal, you have a clear purpose for attending an event, and you’ll feel much better about what you need to do and how to spend your time.
As you start to think about your goal(s) ask yourself questions like…
🗸 What do I want to accomplish by attending this event?
🗸 What do I want to get out of this experience?
🗸 Do I want to learn, be inspired, find potential partners/clients?
🗸 Who do I want to meet?
🗸 How many people do I want to meet?
🗸 What do I need support with right now?
🗸 How can I add value to others right now with my gifts and resources?
Take your connections to the next level. Get deep into conversation with a few select people. It’s exhausting to try and talk to every single person at an event, and truth be told, we don’t have the capacity. Based on your goals, and more importantly based on your in-person connections, invite 2-3 people to take the conversation further either via a video conference call, or another IRL (in real life) interaction your favorite local coffee shop.
Remember, the idea is to build positive and long lasting relationships, not to make a quick buck.
Attend each event with a positive mindset. Take your experience into your own hands, and create the experience you want to have. Sure events offer their own experience with activities, themes, games, speakers, and so on. At the end of the day, you control your own narrative.
Do your best to look at the good in everything. Seek the lesson from that monotone presenter, enjoy the food even if it’s not your favorite pick, take breaks and soak in all the goodness. No event is perfect.
Reflect + reach out. Share what you learned and enjoyed about the event. Take time to reflect and look back on your notes. When you start to share your experience you’ll reinforce what you learned and can inspire or motivate others to join you at the next event.
Reflect also on the people you connected with. Make sure you send a follow-up email. Take note of any personal things you learn about someone, and when you follow up let them know you were listening by asking them about it.
Ways you can reflect on your event experience…
🗸 Do a live video sharing what you learned
🗸 Write a blog post or event recap
🗸 Share your experience and photos on social media
🗸 Complete the event survey and share your honest thoughts, not only does this help you, but it helps the organizers improve the event for the next time you come!
Have fun! Always have fun. It’s not worth it if you’re not having a good time 🙂
Your Turn
What conferences or events are you looking forward to attending in the next few months?
Angela Quisumbing is a multi passionate mompreneur. She is the CEO + Event Strategist for Angela Grace Events where every day and everyone is a reason to celebrate. She is also the host of the Facebook live show, Angela Grace Celebrates Live where she features tips, industry experts, and tools to help you plan and promote a successful and memorable event. She’s also an aspiring speaker and a self-proclaimed advocate for lifelong learning.