By: Chris Piehler
TCEA 2018 is next week! As the PRP team makes our final preparations for another trip to awesome Austin, I got to thinking about one of the most common questions we get from clients: “With conferences so expensive, how do I maximize the return on my investment?” Here are my top five tips for getting the biggest bang for your conference buck.
- Make a plan. “Winging it” may sound fun, but conferences are like toy stores at Christmas: there’s always something shiny to distract you. So, long before you leave for a conference, pick a goal and build your calendar accordingly.
The biggest question to answer here is the size of your presence. Do you need a booth? If so, how big? If not, how and where will you connect with clients and colleagues? Does meeting those clients and colleagues in a focused, one-on-one atmosphere like the PRP Storytelling Suite make more sense than trying to hear each other on the chaotic show floor?
Once you’ve settled on size, take stock of what you want to take away from the conference. Are you or members of your team new to the industry and want to get a grasp of the issues facing educators? Then maximize the number of sessions you attend. (Pro tip: You don’t need to stay for an entire session. Sit at the back and be quiet about it, but when time is scarce, leaving in the middle of a session can multiply your efficiency.)
If you’re more focused on connecting with existing or prospective clients, then sessions can take a back seat to face-to-face meetings. This next part may sound obvious, but I’ve had this problem so I’ll share it: Make sure that you are specific about the times and places of all meetings. There’s nothing worse at a conference than having an appointment but not knowing where to go.
- Be ready to change your plan. Conferences are a rare chance for you to connect face-to-face with colleagues, customers, and prospects from around the world. If you find yourself in the middle of an amazing conversation that could change the course of your business, don’t cut it off just because you get an alert from your phone. Plans are essential, but so is the ability to take advantage of opportunities you didn’t anticipate.
- Take care of yourself. If you’re truly making the most of a conference, you’ll find yourself on your feet and on your game for 12 to 16 hours a day. To keep your mind sharp, take care of your body. This means wearing comfortable shoes as much as possible, drinking as much water as possible, and drinking as little alcohol as is socially acceptable. No, this is not me being the Fun Police. Conferences can be fun, but the goal is to help your business. People may laugh at the guy who got tipsy at the opening night mixer, but they don’t necessarily want to work with him. Also, get as much sleep as you can. This can be hard when you have so much to do and are sleeping in an unfamiliar bed—I take a melatonin supplement every night to help me wind down.
- Gather evidence of your networking. If you’ve followed the first three steps, you’ll be meeting a cavalcade of people and discussing all sorts of new ideas. No matter how great your memory, notes are your best friend. Document every meeting in whatever way will be clearest to Post-Conference You. Personally, I like to go old-school and collect business cards from everyone I meet with, then jot a few words directly on the card to help me remember the substance of the conversation. This makes the final step a lot easier.
- Schedule a post-conference meeting as soon as possible to translate meetings into action. While the lessons you learned and the people you met at the conference are fresh in your mind, gather your team to determine how you will follow up. Meeting face-to-face is the most powerful way to establish and build relationships, so make sure to take full advantage of it by sending a nice, chatty note to everyone you’ve met, suggesting next steps that will be mutually beneficial.
Good luck, and if you’re in Austin, please feel free to drop by the PRP Storytelling Suite at Parkside Restaurant, just a short walk from the convention center!
Thanks for sharing!
