Pub. 1 2018-2019 Issue 3

8 W henyougotoaconference,you are trading your time for an opportunity. It’s also possi- ble that you, or the company youwork for, are also paying money just so you can have this specific experience. As a general rule, therefore, don’t go to any conference unless what you’ll give up is less than what you’ll get. Once you do decide a conference is worth time and money, you’ll want to maximize the experience as much as possible, but what’s the best way to do that? Fortunately, all you really need to do is think of an overall goal or two that you want to accomplish while there; decide what to do before, during, and after the conference; and be willing to adjust your plans when necessary once you arrive. It’s that simple. Here are some common goals that might make attending a confer- ence worthwhile: » Buildinga relation- shipwithpotential customers MAXIMIZING YOUR EXPERIENCE AT A CONFERENCE Before the Conference Whenmost people attend a conference, they want to learn and, possibly, create content later. Secondary goals might be teaching what you learn to those who won’t be attending, improving specific skills, or improvingyour knowledgeabout a topic or an industry. Someone who is looking for a new job or new custom- ers will want to spend time networking. To prepare yourself, choose applicable items from the following list: » Research the speakers and see if you can locate some videos to watch. » If you are interested in checking out the competition, find out who will be attending, and also try to find out what other companies are planning for the conference. » Decide what youwant to learn or write about, andwrite a list of questions that you’d like to be able to answer. » Are you looking for a job? Update your resume and make some copies of it to hand out. Do some research about the companies that will be represented at the conference, and if you can, write a list of people from each company. » Checking out the competition » Finding a new job » Getting ideas so you can create new content » Learning » Motivating yourself to solve problems at work » Networking Many of these goals have a considerable amount of overlap. For example, learn- ing is strongly related to getting new ideas, motivating yourself, or finding out what the competition is doing. Networking is useful for everything that involves other people. That includes job hunting and building a relationship with potential customers. Each of the following sections will give you some suggestions for what to do before, during, and after the confe rence, based on what you want to achieve. What you do will depend a little on what your goals are. Narrow down the list of possibilities, though, so you have a better chance at succeeding.