I know it’s a big deal to find time in your calendar to get to an industry conference. Then there’s the cost of registration, travel and accommodation. And that’s before you factor in the time away from work. So, instead of returning home and getting back into work and life as usual, here are my 6 key ways to maximise the returns from your time away. Take a look and give these a go the next time you invest in a conference. The kick here is that it’s what you do after the conference that can really make things light up your world! Here are 6 things I think you must do.
1. Prepare to Share
As you soon as you register to attend the conference, take time to learn about who is going and who you would like to meet, catch up with etc. Make a mental note about topics that interest you in the agenda and head to those sessions. Instead of taking notes like you would in a meeting, switch it up and make a list of actions, write down the social media handles of speakers or a list of key learnings. And take some photos of these sessions or when you catch up and meet the speaker afterwards. YES, you should do this! This means you have all the information you need to share the outcomes of the conference session with others. You can share a short email update back at work with colleagues, write a short article for your work newsletter and post on your social media accounts as well.
2. Follow Speakers on Socials
Find speakers you really enjoyed online. Click follow them so you can stay connected after the conference. Share their profiles with others you think might be interested in them and their work.
3. Write a Thank YOU
Send an email to the conference organisers and thank them for their work. They are usually volunteers so the thank you goes a long way. Let them know your highlights and how you have already benefited from the speakers and conference activities.
4. Action Your Action List
It’s likely you have come back with a list of actions you want to take. These will have been motivated by conference speakers or sessions. It’s time to action the list. Use it as a checklist and start ticking off the actions. Don’t overthink this. If you wrote the action at the conference, then it’s worth putting into action now. First week after conference is perfect timing for this.
5. Check out Websites
I know we are all very quick to jump on socials on our phones either during or after the conference, but take some time to get to know the people and topics you resonated with further by taking a look around their websites. You’ll usually find blog posts or research outcomes etc there and you can then use these as you share information with others. The key here is to be of service and share things that others will find useful. Especially those who couldn’t go to the conference like you did.
6. Build and Maintain Your Networks
You will meet lots of people at the conference. Make a note and follow up with those that you promised you would. Opportunities can come from knowing others and importantly from them knowing you. So this is the time to be assertive and follow up with them, ask them for a coffee or a face to face or ZOOM catch up. No need to have anything to sell here, just a catch up.
Someone once told me that it doesn’t matter how many people you know that’s important, it’s how many people that know you!
Over to You
Which of these tips resonate the most for you? What are you going to do about them? Remember to give and gain the most you can from the conference you attended. We love it when people reach out after an event and say hello. It all goes towards building positive networks. His doesn’t happen unless you make the first move. Please take one or two or maybe even three things from this article and put them in place today. Good luck. And please feel free to reach out to me here if you think I can help in any way.
Until next time!
