Don't just sit there. Make sure you get the most out of attending a conference or seminar. (Photo source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/211097)
I recently attended Ragan’s Social Media for Communicators conference in Atlanta (which was excellent — the folks at Ragan did a great job finding speakers and putting on a great event). For 2½ days about 500 of us met at Coca-Cola headquarters and heard first-hand how some of the country’s best known companies are using social media.
In addition to getting a lot of good ideas about social media, I also came away with some thoughts — some new, some old — about ways to get more out of a conference or seminar.
1. If it is a social media event or if people will be tweeting about it, find out the hashtag (or designate one if no one else will) ahead of time. Bonus: start tweeting before the event to make yourself known to other attendees and meet them before you actually arrive.
2. Find other ways to organize attendees online. I started a Twitter list of conference attendees. After the Ragan conference, a fan page for conference attendees was started on Facebook and another attendee started a LinkedIn group.
3. Write your Twitter ID on your name badge. Even if it’s not a social media or marketing event and you’re the only Twitter user there, this still could be a great way to start conversations.
4. Camp out close to the walls and the power outlets in the conference room. It sucks to have your laptop battery die in the middle of a presentation as your taking notes or tweeting or whatever. Bonus: Bring a power strip with you to share the outlet with others — you’ll quickly be the most popular person there.
5. Decide which social events around the the conference you’ll attend. If you’re an introvert like me, you have to pace yourself a little bit, so decide what’s the most valuable to you and make plans to get the most out of that.
6. Bring back notes, copies of slide presentations and other materials to share with your colleagues. You can provide your employer and clients more value if you share what you learn after you return.
Everyone has their own tricks for getting more out of conferences. What are your tips? Please share them in the comments below.
Related posts:
In no particular order, I'm a writer, MBA, ex-journalist, blogger, geek, strategic communications pro, father, struggling novelist 
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Good stuff Mark. One other thing I’ve found that helps is to try and connect with all your new contacts on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or wherever else as soon as you can during or after the conference. It helps solidify new relationships and allows you to stay in touch long after the event is over. Also ask them if you can add them to your marketing database for newsletters or other communications. Those contacts may end up being your next referral, project or partnership.
Adam – Those are great tips. In fact, I need to do that still. Thanks!