3 Steps To Get The Most From Business Conferences And Events To Succeed In Your Career
Maximize your return on investment when attending conferences and events.
Brooke Cagle via Unsplash If you want to know how to be successful in your career, there are some important business tips you need to be aware of when it comes to conferences and events.
If you've been in the business world for a while now, you already know that conferences and events are an investment but they can be overwhelming.
Have you ever gone in feeling prepared but left feeling empty-handed?
Even if you leave with a bazillion business cards and pages of notes, heard great speakers share their knowledge, and made valuable connections, taking the next steps to actually implement the new information into your business can be hard.
Maybe you’re going into the conference with the hope that you’ll gain useful information on how to run a business and make it grow. You invest time and money and you leave the conference feeling confident and armed with new information.
But, six months later you realize that nothing has actually changed. Your business and your career still haven’t advanced.
You want to avoid this.
So, how do you get the most out of an event so you can advance your goals and find success? How do you ensure that the next event you attend is the most impactful and strategic one yet? Are you investing just the right amount of time and energy?
Here are 3 business tips that will lead you to success after attending conferences and events.
1. Have a clear goal
Before attending the event, think, "What is my goal? What do I want to get out of this event? What do I want to achieve?"
Be specific. For example:
- "I want to network with Mrs. Smith. I know she’ll be there and she would be a perfect contact for helping scale my business."
- "I want to hear a guest speaker talk about marketing, so I can learn new ways to promote my brand."
- "I am struggling with [whatever it may be] in my business and I need to find a solution."
Once you know exactly what your goal is, write it down.
Sometimes, at conferences and events, we get bombarded with new information and content, so it’s easy to get overwhelmed. To avoid going into an information-overload mode, write down specifically what you want to achieve or learn.
Going into the event with a clear intention allows you to be strategic and keeps you focused.
2. Rewrite your notes
At the end of the day, rewrite the notes you’ve taken. Then, ask yourself: "Have I achieved my goal?"
This activity will allow you to see if you’ve made progress or if you need to be more intentional the next day. You’ll see what you’ve achieved and what you still need to work on.
Maybe you’ve taken steps towards your goal, but you just aren’t quite there yet. This will highlight what you need to focus on during the next day at the conference, so you can be sure to achieve your goal.
3. Have a plan of action
On the last day of the event, write a plan of action. Over the course of the event, you gathered tons of amazing, new information and made valuable connections with people — you’re feeling inspired and confident.
Now, what are you going to do with all of this?
Outline exactly what you are going to do when get back home or back to your office.
In order to be sure that you implement the information you gathered and make use of the connections you made, write down the steps you are going to take. Think, "1, 2, 3, impact!"
Your plan of action will keep you on track to achieve your goal and advance your business or career. In six months from now, instead of looking back and thinking, "Uh oh...", you’ll be looking back with confidence at the amazing progress you’ve made.
So, remember:
- Before attending the event: Have a clear goal.
- At the end of the day: Rewrite your notes and evaluate your progress towards your goal.
- On the last day of the event: Write your plan of action so you know exactly what to do next to advance your business and your career.
Midori Verity is a best-selling author, speaker, and show host. Schedule a Breakthrough Call with Midori, she'll help you end your frustration and anxiety by identifying what your blocks are, so your goals become easier to achieve!