Conference networking tips

My conference path began in 2001 when I spoke at my first student conference about utilization of one-way functions for building a perfect electronic money system. There I met a person acquaintance with whom helps and guides me to this day. After that, there were many events that happened in my life every half a year. Until in 2009, I plunged into this business. I have counted that over this time, I have attended, spoken at and organized around 100 conferences, meetings and meetups. Sometimes, I encountered disappointment in some of my or others’ events. Several times, I have felt as the odd one out myself. But I can say that each time this happened, upon analysis, you could give one of the 10 tips I have decided to structure and make available to everyone.

The most precious part of a conference are the people who have gathered there. The talks are also valuable since they provide new information or inspire interesting ideas. But the most valuable thing is the gathering of many experts and colleagues in your topic in a single place. The very format invites them to share thoughts, ideas and information. Sometimes at a conference, you can spend 15 minutes talking to people with quite a busy schedule, and it would normally take a long time to arrange a meeting with them.
Investigate who will attend the conference a week or two in. Look through the schedule, find people who interest you, find them on Facebook or LinkedIn. Ask the organizers to forward your letter to. If it is possible, arrange everything with them before the.
If you already know who interests you, find him and communicate BEFORE the. If the person is truly interesting and popular, there will be a queue of those willing to talk to them after the. And you will have to make your way through the crowd for a 2-second contact. At the same time, I have repeatedly seen the same speaker calmly sit in the corner or walking the conference corridors alone just half an hour before that.
Sign business cards with information on what you have arranged with the. I sometimes had around a hundred business cards after a good. These notes will help you recall what the conversation was. Or how you can be useful to each other.
Write follow-ups the day after the conference. Several times, I have experimented and written follow-ups two or three weeks after the conference. This works, as well, if you were. But if you write follow-ups immediately after the conference, it will be much easier to continue the communication and fulfil agreements.
Have a good rest before the conference. As a rule, stress on the body and brain rises drastically during the event – more information, more contacts, new. So you will need a lot of vigor and. It is better to arrive the day before and leave the pre-party before
People often ask what to do if you don’t know whom you need at the conference. Do I need a certain kind of people? I have no clue where and how to find. The answer is simple: ask people you know to introduce you and in turn present them to those who interest. And you are extremely lucky if you know a professional networker, a person who has spent a long time inside the market and knows everything about everyone.
A conference is rather a place to get acquainted and outline the main collaboration milestones than to carry out long negotiations and sign contracts. Although if you have met your key client who will give you more than all the others combined, take your chance.
Be remembered for something. It is very important to have your own specialty for which you will be remembered by everyone you talk. Oleksiy Mas appears at conferences in red shirts. Carpolan has been wearing long red T-shirts and baseball hat for as long as I can. These are exceptions but the more brightly comprehensible your style is, the better for you.
Be active. And leave deep contemplation for the time when you’re returning home from the event. Though possibly you can combine the two. And finally, the key point to sum – always remember your goals during the conference and shape them in advance. Be interested in others and tell about yourself. If you use these tips, you will establish connections with a greater number of people and get more out of every conference you attend.

Originally published in Rostyslav Chayka blog