Do you attend either live events for personal growth, business development or for learning the latest and greatest thinking in your areas of specialization?
Do you have a plan, a strategy, and a budget in the beginning of the year to determine which events you will attend in the upcoming year and for what purpose?
It is essentially a business question which will lead to your ROI – your return on the investment of your time, travel and fees to attend the event vs. what you will gain from the event which may be the knowledge, the networking and potentially new business.
Some people do not give a second thought to an event they sign up for and plan to attend. They will book their flight at the last minute (pay the higher price for it), try to reserve a room at the hotel where the venue is being held at the last minute (often the discounted room block is sold out then have to either pay a higher price or stay at another location which may not be close by to the venue), and do not have a plan or a strategy in terms of who might be attending and they want to be certain to meet or get introduced to.
If any of the above sounds familiar to you or if it is you – STOP IT! Stop this behavior right now! The ability and the choice to attend the live event is a gold mine. It is a gold mine only if you are mining. No one is going to hand you and just place in front of you the gold nuggets. It takes a bit of planning and some work beforehand in order for the fruits of your labor to be delivered.
First – If you are planning to attend an event, as soon as possible place your deposit and secure your room reservations and airline reservations. Now you are committed.
Second – Place the dates on your calendar and include the travel dates. Begin the process of identifying who else will be attending. Social media is an excellent starting point as many events will create an event page or hashtag for those planning to attend to begin discussions and get to know each other better.
Third – Look over the planned schedule. Note where there are breaks and begin to arrange to either meet other people or groups of people to have a meal with or meet for coffee on a break during the day. If you want to get to know one or two people specifically try your best to limit the group to only the two or three people you want to engage with. This is not anti social behavior. It is intentional networking.
In summary, if you are going to spend your time and money attending a live event, plan and strategize ahead of time to make the most of the experience.
Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified executive and personal coach who resides in Stamford, CT.
