3 tips for making the most of your #SocialforGood conference ticket

Preparing to attend a conference with your peers can be as stressful as it is exciting. You’re eager to network with others but will you measure up? Will others “like” you and want to learn more about your company or will you struggle all day to find someone who wants to talk to you. Not surprisingly, the number one fear of conference attendees who attend alone is who they’ll eat lunch with…

Been there and done that!

For more conference networking tips, visit my previous posts:

·         Conference Networking Cheat Sheet

·         Top 3 Conference Networking Tips

Perfect your pitch

One of the most important things you can do is perfect your pitch so it’s easy for others to understand your business. Being able to summarize your unique service or product in a way that excites others should be your number one priority. Write out your pitch and practice it – seriously. And keep these tips in mind.

·         It should be no longer than 2 sentences

·         Keep it to 3 points, like the holy trinity and bar stools, there’s magic to the number 3

·         Be prepared to customize on the spot – what you say to a potential partner will differ than what you say to a potential sponsor

Know what you need

Looking for a lawyer, accountant, PR? Find other attendees who might be facing the same issues as you and ask advice. When I was travel writing for a living, I always scoped out my fellow travelers before leaving home – this was a few years before social media. I admitted what I did during a dinner once and was shocked at the horrified looks I earned. I had trouble for the rest of that trip connecting with most of the group – my activity was weird.

Thankfully, social media has shown us that meeting people online before meeting them in person can be a smart conference strategy. To help you, we’ve created a WIBN Attendee List on Twitter. Search through and read the bios beforehand – a little bit of homework can go a long way.

Bring your stuff

Business cards still have a place in this world. I’m always amazed when someone tells me she forgot to order a new batch of cards or left them on her desk or never had any in the first place. Seriously? I know we can connect online but I need reminders – and a card can be a good reminder until we’ve grown our relationship. Get some business cards. Please.

If your biz is online, bring your laptop or tablet so you can show off your online collateral (website, social media channels, etc.). Connect with people while you’re at the conference through friend requests or follows – and make your requests personal. I ALWAYS personalize my LinkedIn invites and am always a little disappointed when others send me the generic one. Don’t I matter enough to write a couple of words?

There is so much about the Social for Good Conference that I’m excited about. Our speaker line up is stellar and TELUS Business  has promised free wifi for all attendees to make sharing their insights easier. Of course, I’m thrilled to be meeting so many new people. Got your ticket yet?

Are you ready to meet and great people that you might already know from social media but have never met in real life? If you’ve signed up for WIBN’s 5th annual conference you’ve already taken the most important step. Now go forth and NETWORK!