How to Make the Most Out of Your Conference Participation

[by: Laurie Briones] Attending a conference brings so many great opportunities to connect with other individuals in the field you represent. Conferences pave the way to learn different perspectives, form new relationships, and expand your knowledge. By attending a conference, you also gain a larger audience to present your work. The rapidly shifting dynamic in every industry is becoming harder and harder to keep up with. Staying relevant to peers, clients, and potential employers is an ever-moving target, and conferences are vital to achieving that. Are you making the most out of your conference participation? We have some tips to ensure you are!

 Set Meetings Between Conference Events

Arranging meetings with potential clients and collaborators allows one-on-one time to learn more about their business needs and if working together is a good fit. These meetings can be promoted in the weeks leading up to the conference. Most conferences also offer an app that allows you to connect and learn more about other attendees. Doing a little research on your meeting attendees ahead of the conference will help leave more time for meaningful discussions. The app also may have other tools that can assist in facilitating these meetings.

Attend Classes in Your industry

 

Attending classes in your industry allows you to stay up to date on the latest trends and technology. Many class sessions have practical exercises to engage in, and these close interactions between different companies offer the generation of authoritative information to be shared. Industry sessions take you beyond your core area of expertise and challenge the status quo so you can apply the highest value to your goals and objectives.

Up Your Networking Game

Networking is the pillar of conference attendance. It’s important to make the most out of every encounter, while allowing for those chance meetings to enhance your networking experience. Here are a few tips you may want to put into your playbook:

• Talk to anyone wearing a name badge, whether it be in line, in the elevator, or at the buffet.
• Be open to conversations with all types of companies.
• Join and expand the social network conversation during a conference. For example, share key insights by tweeting on the event hashtag.

Although the benefits received from attending a conference are different for everyone, we can all agree that one should never stop looking for ways to maximize the experience.

  ImageBloom, Inc. is a group of marketing professionals that have over 25 years of combined experience marketing for clinical research sites, physician practices, eCommerce product lines, and other small to medium-sized businesses. To learn more about the ImageBloom difference, click here. References: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyhoey/2018/08/29/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-attending-conferences-and-events/#275262bb5d2a https://thetrainingassociates.com/blog/advantages-of-conferences/