Technology has made it possible to do just about anything without ever having to leave the office or home, which is great for convenience’s sake but diminishes the perceived necessity for human interaction.
Busy founders and small business owners are guilty of saving time with technology. But attending conferences are an opportunity to be a part of a greater business conversation. Many entrepreneurs rationalize skipping out on these hosted conversations because they are afraid to take time away from their business and they often become complacent with being online spectators – streaming content and following on social media. However, there are several benefits to leaving the office and participating in conferences:
Networking
Even in a world connected by technology 24/7, nothing beats the power of a face-to-face conversation. We don’t meet new people and we don’t make impactful, authentic connections by sitting in our office, browsing through LinkedIn. Conferences and networking events gather like-minded individuals in similar fields, interested in the same answers and looking to solve the same problems. Many people attend conferences just for the networking opportunities alone. By making an effort to actively participate in the conversations a conference has to offer, we build stronger relationships and make more meaningful connections with our peers, thought leaders, and potential clients. That face-to-face interaction and exposure is important to building relationships and definitely not something we can achieve by staying at the office. One networking tip: Be real; don’t try to sell yourself or your product instantaneously. Don’t be the person that goes from person to person, passing out business cards – that’s like the in-person version of adding seemingly random contacts to your LinkedIn network.
Business Development
Conversations are a great tool in helping us grow our business because there are numerous opportunities to meet potential clients, partners, and investors. Face-to-face connections with current and potential customers can strengthen sales, align marketing efforts, and cement partnerships. A business development strategy should be created to make it easier to capitalize on networking opportunities, before the event even starts. We need to be reaching out to potential clients and partners that we know will be in attendance and to set up meetings. Make plans to take current clients out for dinner to show our appreciation. Take advantage of being in the same place at the same time and maximize the occasion to make a face-to-face connection.
Learning
Panels and speakers teach us important information about a particular industry, best practices, trends, and new tools to help run our business. We also have the opportunity to learn from keynote speakers who motivate us with anecdotes of their trials and tribulations, while offering us advice on how to best succeed. The purpose is to motivate and teach something valuable, so it‘s important to make sure to attend panels and discussions. In fact, we should be taking notes, and thinking of ways we could apply all that we have learned to helping grow our businesses. Most people don’t think about staying around afterwards and speaking to panelists, asking questions and making a connection. Conferences will provide many opportunities for us to learn and educate ourselves, what we do with that knowledge is up to us.
Trends
Product launches, breaking news, or exciting announcements are the norm for conferences. Those who attend can learn about new industry trends, best practices, and what to expect in the coming years – before anyone else does! If we move quickly, we can become pioneers in the industry. We must capitalize on these trending topics and make sure we are part of the social media conversation. It’s also important to share and apply what we learned as soon as we get back to the office.
Thought Leadership
Above and beyond product announcements, conferences are a time when leaders of an industry gather to host conversations around the issues that businesses are facing and often the industry from a macro point of view. These are the conversations that shed light on the direction in which an industry is headed. Thought leaders are viewed as experts in their field and the conversations that take place at conferences can be aspirational and inspiring. You can’t get that from staring at a computer screen for eight hours. Once we start attending more conferences, we will begin to be recognized. This type of exposure is important to drive business growth, raise awareness and eventually help us position ourselves as thought leaders in the industry and help advance our careers. We need to be proactive and speak to everyone that we can, follow-up with people after the conference to keep in touch, ask people to follow us on social media and even try to get on a panel as a speaker or expert. Conferences provide plenty of opportunities to make an impact and build our brand, we just need to be willing to be active and put in the work.