Every year you are invited to attend a dozen different conferences throughout the country. While they may seem like a fun vacation, attending a conference or allowing your employees to attend conferences could also have major benefits for your business.
There are many reasons why attending in-person conferences doesn’t hold a candle to participating in an online webinar. Read on to understand the value that attending conferences has for employee and development and organizational growth.
Implementable ideas:
More often than not at networking events, there are internationally renowned speakers and industry experts who you will get the chance to talk to and be presented to. It is worth taking note of any ideas which are mentioned in conversation and or a presentation, which are relevant to your business.
Networking:
At almost every conference I attend, there is ample opportunity to meet other professionals, whether it be sharing a lunch table with others, asking directions to my next session, sitting next to somebody in a session or meeting other conference goers in the evening at the restaurant, bar, fitness center or pool. I make it a habit to carry business cards to share with others and then I often connect with people on LinkedIn. This way it is easy to follow up with them if I need to and to follow their career path. It also helps to remember someone the next time you meet them. It is also a good idea to always have some means of taking notes, so that you can write down important ideas, contacts or reminders.
Get Smarter. Repeat.
There are numerous benefits to attending conference sessions. The obvious is to hear smart speakers give presentations on important topics with useful tips. Sometimes speakers deliver on that promise and sometimes they don’t.
Don’t let bad conference content get in the way of getting smarter.
Pay attention to how the speaker gives their presentation and observe how the audience responds. You might think the information isn’t useful to you, but if the attendees are leaning forward, writing notes and holding up their phones and i pads to take pictures of the presentation slides, then the speaker is connecting.
Knowledge sharing:
Knowledge, as they say, is power. Nowhere is this more relevant than in entrepreneurship. An entrepreneur with few ideas will struggle to scale their business. Conferences can provide a powerful knowledge sharing environment; through both inter-delegate and traditional lecturing.
Conferences create a learning environment in which delegates are encouraged to exchange experiences, ideas and practices, allowing interaction with similar entrepreneurs who may be facing similar issues and problems. Such inter-delegate interaction from differing experiences generates dialogue and facilitates an ecosystem where issues are tackled together; broadening perspectives through insight and experience-sharing. It also allows entrepreneurs to benchmark their businesses.
Connect With Influencers and in Turn, Your Target Audience
Connecting with influencers is one key benefit to attending marketing events.Social media and other online platforms are great for connecting with influencers as well as your target audience, but these online spaces are highly competitive and often require sponsored posts to reach your target market.
According to eMarketer, 45 percent of marketers and communications professionals used event management as a tactic to increase influencer engagement. By working with influencers from the very start of your event strategy, you can create events that are truly valuable and will attract the right type of attendees for your brand.
Influencers can be useful throughout the whole event planning process in two key ways:
They help drive awareness and event registrations during the pre-event phase
They can recap key messages that people may have missed during the event.
When it comes to selecting an influencer, you need to discover who has the greatest ability to support your business or cause and relay your messages to the right audience. Ideally, you should be looking for an influencer who you can build a co-branded relationship with – someone you can work with over and over again.
