Tips for those who want to get the most out of their conferences

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Participation in professional events, seminars and exhibitions can bring many benefits to you personally and to your work. Of course, if you participate in them correctly. Lifehacker publishes Denis Zhadanov's advice on how to get the most out of conferences.

Before you decide to attend a conference, ask yourself a few questions:

• What do I want to get from the conference?
• What will this give the company?
• What do I want to find there and why?

Any conference takes time, money and effort. If you think that the potential benefit will be greater than the resources spent - visit the event. And remember: it depends only on you whether you can then apply the new knowledge in your work. When you are going to an exhibition, remember that you have to hurry up.

If your work is iOS, I recommend not missing events like Macworld iWorld, TechCrunch, LeWeb, TNW Conference, MWC, GDC, and AppsWorld. Over the past three years, I have attended two dozen conferences, seminars and exhibitions and am ready to share some useful tips.

1. First come on, then take

The first rule of any ecosystem is: first give, then take. I think this is a great principle to apply to exhibitions and conferences. If you are an expert, if you have an idea that might help someone, then don't be selfish! This tactic will bear fruit, believe me. First, it will build you the credibility that is vital to your business. Secondly, you will make new acquaintances that will be useful in the future. For example, I now come to conferences to help other people.

Hint: I usually share marketing tricks, news and trends from the App Store, communication technologies.

2. Serve as a speaker

You need to stand out from the crowd. Becoming a speaker is one of the best ways. It opens many doors and helps to share knowledge. Of course, it takes time to prepare a good presentation. But where else will you put your public speaking skills and persuasion to the test?

Great people can be found in the lounges for speakers, use this opportunity!

Prepare an interesting and entertaining story about your product or company (product placement is still working). Communicate more with other speakers.

3. Schedule appointments in advance

Any event is great for scheduling a meeting. Take a look at Mobile World Congress. About 70,000 people from all over the world come to Barcelona every year. CEOs, CTOs, managers, marketers, press and many more - everyone! It's time to look for clients and conclude new deals. But keep in mind that events of this magnitude are very eventful, so make an appointment in advance, optimally a few weeks before the event.

If you are interested in the press, contact your friends who are participating in the exhibition and ask them for a list of media outlets (this is usually distributed among the exhibitors).

4. Plan your free time

Sometimes spontaneous negotiations can be very productive! So leave some free time in your schedule to meet people. Last year, all night before Mobile World Congress, I went through the press list. Literally at the last minute, I managed to arrange a meeting with incredible people from the world's leading magazines and online resources. Do you remember that you need to hurry up to achieve your goals?

When meeting new people, try to be helpful to them. Only then can you ask them for something in return.

5. Do not hang around and do not bother everyone

One investor at TechCrunch in San Francisco tried to get interested in working together in a toilet stall. He was clearly not happy. Remember, first impressions are the most important, and if you really expect to work with someone in the future, find the best way to get their attention. Be creative!

A friend of mine approached the person with whom he wanted to talk and offered to play the game "rock-paper-scissors" on the condition that if he won, he would have the opportunity to talk with him about the case for 10 minutes.

6. Build long-term relationships with the right people

You will succeed if you can attract attention (see point one). Depending on the specifics of your business and the goals of attending the conference, consider several options for a strategy that can interest people. It depends only on you how you implement this: you will be a funny, strange, eccentric, intelligent, interesting person with whom you want to talk. Personal qualities play a key role. Don't expect your efforts to pay off overnight - it takes time.

We are all human, do not pretend to be an idiot. Then your chances of establishing relationships with important people will increase.

7. Have fun. But not too

You can't skip parties if you want to hang out with people in a relaxed atmosphere. Sometimes you chat with a complete stranger and understand: this is what you need! And sometimes you just waste your time. Therefore, you only need to come to the right parties. The best audience gathers at events where you can enter by invitation.

You can fully appreciate all the delights of open bars only on the last evening. Otherwise, the hangover will prevent you from making the right impression if you drink too much on the first night of the conference.

Outcomes

Attending conferences and exhibitions has helped me establish contacts with many key figures in the industry, and also have learned a lot. But if your job has to be done on a tight schedule, it's best to stay at home and work in peace. The decisive factor is your new idea. If you have something interesting to share with others, just do it.