Saying that you will be overwhelmed at an industry conference is an understatement. But there are three must-dos you can do to reduce the stress and anxiety that is lurking around every general session, breakout room, and sponsored break. Before you attend your next event, prepare with these three ideas (beyond the wear comfortable shoes, and pace your extracurricular bar time so you have energy to attend all of the important events):
1. Get a lay of the land ahead of time.
You’ll have a conference agenda sent ahead of time, so prioritize which concurrent sessions you want to attend, what you want to get out of them, and where they are located on the convention center map. It can get super crazy with the number of people trying to figure out the signage once you get onsite, so do a run-through of where things are ahead of time.
2. Separate your inspiring ideas from actual to-dos
You’re bound to be in sessions with speakers that will inspire you, move you, rejuvenate you, and educate you. The challenge becomes when you go back to work after the event, where do you begin? What do you tackle first? Who could possible do EVERYTHING that has been suggested? One way to reduce the stress of re-entry is to separate your good ideas that will inspire you to be a better leader from your specific to-dos that you can implement. That way, when you are going over your notes post-conference, you can glance at the list of to-dos and prioritize them. If you forgot to make a note, check out the conference hash tag on Twitter to see what others thought were great ideas too.
3. Pre-stamp follow-up cards for the special people
Hopefully, you will go into the conference with an open mind around meeting new people, sitting with new folks, and going to different sessions as your co-workers in order to exchange conference keepers later. In meeting new people, you have a chance to connect with amazing people that make all of your networking efforts worthwhile. Don’t just collect business cards and put them in a stack that will accumulate and end up in a pile on your desk. If you do have intention behind when you ask someone for their card, they are special. There is a reason you want to stay in touch with them. Immediately make a note on their card referencing where you met them and a unique thing about them. Then each night when you get back to your room, write a quick note to them saying how it was nice to have met them and how you look forward to connecting with them again. Put something in the note that will help them remember you and maybe add something about your conference conversation. Since it’s pre-stamped, it’s ready to mail the next time you pass through he lobby. Never underestimate the power of a personalized, hand-written note or card.
Try these ideas the next time you go to a conference and by all means, sit in the front-row. You always meet interesting people in the front of the room!
From your love-to-attend-conferences motivational speaker,
Marilyn Sherman
