At Toolulu, we have been to our fair share of conferences, and have even spoken at them too. Conferences are a great way to expand your knowledge and meet new people (and reconnect with friends). Usually conferences will be full of trendsetters, educated and successful individuals so it’s always good to have your game face on. Here are a few tips we would like to pass along to you when attending a conference:
- 3 goals. Before you leave for your conference (or on the flight out), take time to write down or vocalize what your top 3 goals are in attending the conference. Do you want to be a sponge and soak up everything? Do you want to network? Do you want to find companies to interview for your niche blog? Do you want to raise awareness of your site/product? By having these top 3 goals, you will be more focused at the conference and more prepared when someone asks you what you do (as each goal will put a different spin on what you say).
- Take 2x the business cards. There’s nothing worse than running out of business cards at a conference. Take more business cards than you think you will ever need. In designing your cards, you may want to think about putting your picture on your card so people immediately remember you when they get home.
- Dress for success. I am a firm believer that when we dress great, we get better results. It’s something about the attitude change within us that happens when we feel great in what we wear. If it’s a large conference, consider wearing something that brands you (i.e. a t-shirt with your web address, etc.)
- Have fun. Conferences are always a mixture of parties and business. Be sure to let loose and have a good time.
We hope these tips help you with your next conference. If you have never been to a conference, consider it. They help spark your passion and you are guaranteed to meet a few friends along the way too.
