I just spent two days at the TechCrunch50 conference, and what I noticed was that most of the attendees weren’t getting their money’s worth. It doesn’t matter if you pay for admission or if you get in free because your time spent at an event is worth money.
If you want to get your money’s worth from attending a conference, here are a few suggestions:
Have Business Cards
It’s not cool to not have business cards. Recently, it has become a trend to not carry business cards, and this is a big mistake. If you don’t make it easy for people to contact you, no one will.
If you plan on attending an event, make sure you bring plenty of cards.
If you don’t have business cards, create some. More importantly, your card needs to stand out, and it has to say something about you.
Come Up with an Elevator Pitch
Having business cards alone doesn’t mean you’re ready to attend a conference. Before you start mingling, you have to come up with an elevator pitch.
This elevator pitch should consist of a few things:
Your name
What you do
Why you are here
In addition to those three elements, keep your pitch shorter than 30 seconds, and make sure it is relevant to the conference.
For example, TechCrunch50 is a conference about startups in the web 2.0 arena. During the event, I had the option of using a few different elevator pitches.
Here are some examples:
Hi, my name is Neil Patel. I am an Internet marketer that has helped companies like TechCrunch double their search engine traffic through SEO. I am here to find startups that need help with their Internet marketing efforts.
Hi, my name is Neil Patel. I co-founded a company called KISSmetrics that is a web analytics solution for startups. I am looking to help startups solve their problems that revolve around metrics.
Hi, my name is Neil Patel. I co-founded a company called KISSmetrics that provides web analytics for small and medium businesses. I am here to meet investors.
I know these examples may sound weird, but they work. All you have to do is say them in a conversation so they don’t sound cheesy.
Knowledge is Power
I know the “cool” people don’t attend very many sessions, but you should. Sessions can provide a lot of knowledge and insight, so take the time to attend a few.
I recommend that you look at the conference agenda ahead of time and circle the sessions you want to attend. For these sessions, you should try to sit in the front so that:
You can clearly see the presenter and their PowerPoint presentation (if there is one).
You can hear what the presenter is saying (the audio system may not be working).
You’ll have a better chance at asking the speaker a question.
Attend the After Parties
The biggest value of a conference is the after-parties. This is where you’ll get the best information. When people are loose (have a bit of alcohol in them), they’ll end up talking and sharing almost anything.
Here are a few unwritten rules to follow when attending after-hour parties:
What happens at the party stays at the party. Don’t go and blab everything you hear.
Don’t push people for information… even if they are drunk. Get to know people, and if they naturally want to share information with you, great. Don’t leave the party early even if you are tired. You’ll benefit more from staying than leaving. Stay away from the dance floor and any loud speakers. It is difficult to have conversations in these areas. There is typically another party after the party is over, so try to go to it.
Don't Forget to Follow Up
At this point, the conference is over, right? Technically it is, but for you, it isn’t. You have to follow up with EVERY person you met at the event.
If you don’t, you’ll never end up building any real relationships. Meeting someone is great, but if you don’t get to know the people you meet, you won’t gain value from the conference.
If a portion of the people you email or call don’t respond to you, you can try following up again in a few weeks, but I recommend letting it go. You don’t want to come across as being bothersome.
Original Article By: QuickSprout
