Getting the most out of a conference

I was reading a blog post by a friend of mine (What constitutes a friend?  We follow each other on Twitter and have talked a bit there and that is good enough for me) Logan Thompson where he talks about Preparing Early for Affiliate Conferences and he is spot on in everything he says. Some of the main things he talks about is registering and setting up travel plans early, networking before the conferences and setting up some meetings, and setting your goals on what you waht to get out of the conference.  All very great stuff.

But as I look forward to Affiliate Summit in August I wanted to share with you some tips of how you can maximize your experience at this conference or any other one you choose to attend. Many people always ask “Is it worth it to attend these conferences?” By the time you register, pay for airfare, hotels, taxis, food etc. you can easily drop a grand or two but in my mind it can definitely be worth the expense as long as you make the most of it.  If you just plan on coming, sitting in some sessions, walking around the exhibit hall and then leaving I would say save your money. If you want to make sure you money is well spent here are a few tips:

Network!!! – By far the greatest value I get from going to conferences is networking with others. I would say it is probably 90% of the reason I go. I am not the most outgoing or social person by any means but over the years I have attended at least a dozen conferences and by networking I have developed some great friends and business contacts. I remember going to my first internet conference in Irvine, CA.  It wasn’t a traditional conference, more just a bunch of people from around the world getting together at a bar. When I went I had only really met one of the people going ahead of time but I “knew” a lot of the other attendees from different forums, chats, emails, etc. 

When I got there I spent the first hour or so just standing around trying to figure out who was who but eventually I started recognizing some of the names and went up and introduced myself. Over the next few hours I was able to meet a few dozen people, some of who remain good friends to this day.  A year later we all met up in Boston and it was like we hadn’t been apart for a year.  I met many more people at that conference and every conference I go to my list of friends in this industry grows.

If you just go to a conference and don’t meet people or talk to them you are wasting your time. This industry has so many great and interesting people that are very open to talking and meeting you. So how do you do it?

• Come up with a list of people you want to meet ahead of time – This will be a great head start for you. As you develop your list look for people in the industry that do stuff similar to what you do but also look for people who are doing things you would like to do.  There are many different ways to find these people from Twitter and Facebook to different blogs and forums. You might not be able to meet all the people on your list but this will give you a good start. And you will also end up meeting people you never expected to meet or hadn’t planned on meeting. Also start planting seeds with these people beforehand. Send them and email, DM them on Twitter, comment on their blogs, etc.
• Don’t be afraid to join in a group – If you are at the hotel bar or looking for a meal ask some other people at the conference to join you or ask if you can join them. There will be some groups that are having private meetings and they won’t really want you nosing in but for the most part you will be welcome to join. Don’t be a jerk about it but more often than not a lot of people will happy to let you join. And if you pick up the dinner or bar tab you will make friends really quick.
• Don’t be a jerk – If you are one of those people who always talks and who feels the need to dominate a conversation with useless crap learn to shut up once in a while. Be content to just sit and listen. And don’t be rude when approaching people. If you are a jerk people will be jerks right back
• Look for other “loners” – Be willing to go out and find other people who are in your same situation. Invite them to join you, offer to buy them a drink, or just sit and chat with them for a few minutes. You never know who that loner is and they might end up becoming a great business associate or friend in the future.

Don’t just be a taker – Many people just attend conferences hoping to get something for themselves. But if you just do that you are wasting a great opportunity. Don’t expect others to share with you if you don’t share with them. Sounds like something we learned in kindergarden doesn’t it?  I always fall into the trap of thinking I have nothing valuable to contribute to a conversation or a meeting but you never know when what you have to share will really resonate with someone else. I remember an instance at the conference in Boston where I was just sitting in the lobby chatting with a couple friends and another guy sauntered up to join the conversation. We eneded up sitting and talking for about an hour and by the end of that conversation I was able to share a lot with this guy about SEO, affiliate marketing, and how to be successful in this industry and he is still doing it over 5 years later. Be willing to share and help others whereever you can. You don’t need to spill all your secrets but the more you help others the more you will get out of these conferences.

Stay in contact – Once you meet someone at a conference be sure to stay in touch with the people you meet.  Exchange contact information and drop them a note when you get home. These contacts can be very valuable to you in the future. Some of my best ideas, tips, etc. have come from follow up chats and emails with people I have met at conferences. 

Find sessions that interest you – Many conferences have dozens of different sessions that run all day. If you try to spend all day attending sessions you will be burnt out and bored fairly quickly. Pick the sessions that you think will help you and maybe a couple others you think could be valuable but don’t think you have to attend them all.  Take some time away from sitting in sessions to talk with people, take a walk around the exhibit hall, go take a nap, or anything like that. One of the worst things you can do at a conference is to get too burnt out on sitting in sessions that you don’t want to talk with people.

I am sure there are many more tips I can give but I have rambled long enough for now. What are some of your favorite tips for getting the most out of conference?  Comment on them below.