Preparing for a Conference

Happy Tuesday! As we distance ourselves from the holidays and get into our groove for the rest of the year, one topic is likely to come up. Conferences. Pre-pandemic, I would attend upwards of 15 a year! I’m seeing my calendar starting to fill up again, so this is a timely one.

Angela and Brian are colleagues at a real estate brokerage. It’s a relationship driven industry so they are both excited to grow their networks at a big upcoming conference.

Different approaches, different results

Angela considers herself a natural introvert. For her, a big gathering can feel a little overstimulating or even overwhelming, so she cannot take ‘success’ for granted. She does everything she can to be prepared.

Brian loves the energy of being around a lot of other people and brings his natural enthusiasm. Since he is so comfortable talking to people, he feels fine just improvising.

Their conference outcomes are going to be different.

Goals

Before rushing off to any business meetings, it helps to know what you want. Are you trying to meet more people in a given industry? Learn about new developments? Raise your profile? Burnish your reputation? Win a swimsuit modeling contract?

Angela sees the growth of the medical industry and knows she wants to participate. She goes into the conference aiming to expand her network and raise her profile in the medical real estate niche.

Brian likes to meet people and chat. He doesn’t have a particular focus or goal. He plans to take opportunities as they come.

Which approach is going to be more effective?

Call to Action

Angela wants people to think of her any time a medical property in her region is going to change owners or tenants. She is ready to ask people for a simple action that will help her reach her goal – sign up for a new medical real esate newsletter she’s writing.

This is her call to action. It’s clear, easy to ask for, and easy for people to do.

Because Brian doesn’t have a specific goal in mind, he doesn’t have a call to action ready. He might be so charming that people act like it’s the Sahara and his words are the only water for a thousand miles. But without a call to action, Brian is bound to leave value on the table.

You don’t need to be Don Juan to influence people. You just need to be reasonably personable and prepared. Here are some actions that people can take that might help you achieve your goals:

• Visit your website

• Sign up for a newsletter

• Schedule a followup call or meeting

• Attend an event

• Propose your name for a Nobel prize

• You get the idea

Think about these questions and write your answers down. Putting things in writing really helps crystalize our thoughts and intentions.

Be ready to introduce yourself (aka know your value proposition)

Once you know what you’re after, you’ll need to connect with other people who can help you get there. We’ll talk about finding those people in a moment. But first, make sure you’re clear about how you might be interesting to others.

Master connector Clay Hebert reminds us that we only get one chance to make a first impression, so we should prepare some ideas before we meet new people. Hebert’s formula is brilliant in its simplicity:

1. Tell people who you help, and why

2. Be interesting (explain through stories)

3. Express yourself with confidence

Angela comes to the conference with a few different self-introductions ready. She’s ready to tell how she connects hospitals, clinics, private practices, landlords, and real estate investors to ensure that great medical care always has a home.

Her interesting stories and confident delivery give her a big head start on developing new relationships. And because she has a few variations to her introduction, she’s ready to improvise whatever version seems most relevant in the moment.

Brian makes the mistake of talking more about himself than who he helps. While he’s charming, his stories about himself aren’t quite as interesting as he thinks, and his new contacts leave those introductions with little sense of who he is or why they should want to stay in touch.

Be tactical

Once you know what you want, it’s time to make some more tactical preparations. Here are some key steps to take:

1. Find out who is attending. Once you know who else will be at the conference, you won’t have to just rely on dumb luck to provide interactions that will help you with your goals.

2. Make a target list. Now that you know who else will be there, figure out who you want to talk to. Whose expertise, personal network, or connection to you might make them helpful? Make a list so you can figure out how to connect with them.

3. Case the joint. If the convention center has a vault, you’ll find out where the cash is. Otherwise, understanding the venue will help you figure out where exactly you can meet people. This can help ensure you get your chance to talk to your target list and if you have any social anxiety, understanding the venue ahead of time often reduces stress.

4. Book meetings in advance. Whenever possible, schedule those meetings! This dramatically increases the odds that you will actually connect with the people on your target list. Scheduled meetings also give you the opportunity to be fully prepared for that specific conversation and to place it in a comfortable time and location.

5. Have a system for capturing notes and follow-ups. As we recently discussed, taking notes and using them well is an essential part of managing relationships in today’s busy world. Don’t leave this to chance. Be ready with a plan and some tools.

Angela knows what she wants and makes a focused target list of people she wants to meet. She identifies a few lounge areas that are easy to access, quiet, and not too far from the main conference floor. She contacts her target and schedules coffee chats before the conference even begins. She writes down key information in her notebook and is especially careful to capture followup steps. At the end of the day, she transfers her notes into her CRM tool.

Brian, in contrast, doesn’t do any of these things. He works the room and meets a lot of people. He has fun conversations, but they’re mostly on the main conference center floor, where it's noisy and busy. His chats are not particularly meaningful. He plans to follow up with a few people who he likes, but his memory isn’t flawless. He misses some key personal details and forgets some followup actions.

Which one of them had a more successful conference? Which is more likely to come away with new business opportunities? The answer is clear.

As the brilliant businessman (among other things!) Ben Franklin once said, diligence is the mother of good luck.

One final tip

We can’t say this enough: people do business with people they like.

Conferences are inherently social events. Among many other things, they’re valuable opportunities to connect with people in your field (or related fields) and establish or strengthen relationships. Focusing on relationships is usually an investment with high returns.

Here’s a great way you can invest in relationships:

Host a dinner!

Hosting puts you in the middle of things – great for building connections. Dinner is fun and social. Good things happen when people are having fun.

And if you manage to connect others within your network, that reflects well on you and makes you more valuable to the people around you. It’s win-win!

With a modest amount of preparation, attending a conference can be a great opportunity to make great connections, advance your goals, and even have some fun.