Conference networking can be difficult

Conferences, especially large ones, can be intimidating to even the bravest person. They are loud, and full of strangers standing in loosely bunched circles around the room. It’s hard to find the people that you want to meet and hard to get a conversation started.


 
However, conferences can be a goldmine. They can make the difference in landing your next job or securing the big deal.

Here are eleven tips for how to network effectively at conferences and industry events

1. Plan your day

Before you even head to an event, take a look at the schedule. Are there relevant speakers or content areas that relate to your business? If you’re interested in the topic or speakers, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to meet people with common interests there too.

Show up early. Arriving before a session or staying late gives you the opportunity to start conversations with people and the speaker. Try to sit next to people you might want to connect with.

2. Practice your introduction

It’s incredibly important for you to prepare a great introduction for yourself. If you have 30 seconds to introduce yourself, your company and your interests, how quickly can you do it? Does your introduction create an invitation for people to participate?

Try to boil it down to the salient points, and pay attention to how well it works when you’re meeting people and adapt. This helps people size you up and find opportunities as quickly as possible.

3. Pre-arrange meetings

If you’re attending an industry event, there’s bound to be people who you’re dying to meet. Maybe you’ve been reading their blog or following their Twitter, or had a brief conversation with them at the last conference that you went to.

Send emails to those people and ask if they’re going. Even if they’re not, this could be a great setup for you to have coffee with someone you’re hoping to connect with.

4. Ask questions

Don’t be a conversational narcissist but focus on asking good, engaging questions and learn something new. Conferences are a great way to learn about new topics.

Even better, raise your hand and ask a question during a speaker’s session. Questions during a session are a great time to make a short introduction to the crowd. “Hi, my name is Joe and I’m an executive coach who works with financial executives. I wanted to ask a question about…”

If you make a statement that resonates with someone in the audience, chances are that they will come find you.

5. Spread out, don’t cling

If you’re attending a conference with a coworker or a close friend, make an effort to spread out. It’s too easy to sit next to someone you have a relationship with already and watch the sessions. If that’s all you plan to do, then you might as well read blogs and watch the webcast. You’re here to network!

6. Use Twitter and the event hashtag

Many conferences and events are increasingly adopting Twitter. You’ll often see a Twitter hashtag that starts with a pound sign (e.g., #e3 for the E3 games conference) posted. People tweeting with the hashtag can be searched through Twitter.

This is a great opportunity to identify other interesting event attendees by what they’re Tweeting about and the profile that they have on Twitter. You can start up a Twitter conversation and meet someone new. You can also Tweet interesting quotes and lessons learned into the hashtag, which will be read and followed by people who share your interests.

7. Find a way to stand out

One of the hardest parts of networking is starting the conversation. How can you make it easier for them to identify you and start a conversation?

Wear an interesting shirt or wear your company logo. Carry around an interesting piece of new technology that will catch someone’s interest and give them a reason to ask a question. Many conversations can get started with, “Is that a Fitbit you’re wearing? I’ve always wondered about one of those.” or “Do you work at company X?” I’m sure if you think about this, you can come up with other creative conversation starters.

8. Bring business cards, ask for business cards

Don’t forget to bring a stack of business cards when you’re attending a conference, and don’t be shy to ask for other people’s cards as well. The point of these events is to network, and business cards are one of the easiest ways for you to exchange contact information for following up later. If you have an interesting conversation with someone, don’t be afraid to ask, “Do you have a card on you?”

9. Have a goal

Stay focused on how you’re spending your time by having a goal at the conference. There are high level goals for conferences, such as learning about a topic or making a deal.

However, it’s easier to take these high level goals and make them achievable by breaking them down into smaller, achievable goals.

For example, a simple goal might be to visit 3 sessions about your subject, and introduce yourself to each of the speakers after the event. Or, your goal might be to give away your stack of business cards by the end of the day. Each time you have a conversation and deliver your pitch, you’re getting better and making progress toward achieving your goals.

10. Blog about the event and sessions

Blogging about sessions at the event are a great way to start networking online, as well. Take notes on the sessions, or do a quick writeup on some of the insights that you had from attending the event.

Speakers and conference organizers love it when you help them amplify their content and sharing it to a broader audience. This is a great way to strike up an email conversation with others and begin to establish yourself in the industry by creating blog content that shows you’re thinking about and paying attention to the right topics.

11. Follow up immediately after the event

After the event, follow up while you’re still fresh in people’s mind. Not following up is the single biggest lost opportunity. It can be helpful to write notes about your conversation or follow up items on business cards.

Add them to your LinkedIn or send a follow up note to connect after the event. Be specific and personalized in your follow-up invitations and emails, because they may not remember you in the rush of people. Remind them where you met and what you talked about.

It does get easier

The first few times you go to conferences and events, it can be an awkward social situation which just isn’t very fun.

But it gets better over time. I promise.

The important thing is just to get out there!

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