<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none;" alt="" src="https://dc.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=529113&amp;fmt=gif">
LOG IN Contact Us

9 Insights for an Exceptional Conference Experience

By ClientWise | August 19, 2013

 

For financial advisors, attending conferences can be a great opportunity to grow, learn, and connect. But they are what you make of them.

 

Here are 9 observations that might help you make your forthcoming conference experiences even more valuable:

 

Research and Connect with Speakers. Look at the agenda prior to the conference itself. Check out the speakers’ backgrounds, bios, social media presence, etc. Identify those speakers who you’d really like to connect with.


Ask yourself...Why am I here? Not intended to be a metaphysical-stare-at-your-navel kinda question. More of an honest check-in to focus on any personal or professional goals that you might have for the conference.


Put down your device. Since you are investing your time and money to attend the conference…attend the conference. Your electronic friends can wait. There are few things more ironic than the image of conference attendees with eyes glued to their mobile device, while a prospective client or friend is standing 10 feet away from them.


Find like-minded people. As is true in any event, you will not connect with every other attendee. No sweat! However, focus on those individuals who you like and enjoy…and connect with them.


Ask great questions. Asking great questions is a short cut to many good outcomes. At conferences, thoughtful questions are a genius way to connect with speakers, and add to your knowledge base on topics that interest you.


Take really good notes. Have you ever returned from a conference and looked at your notes, only to wonder what baboon hijacked your notebook? (With all due respect to any baboons who might be reading this.) Be more conscientious with your note taking. Experiment with different note-taking methods, e.g. mind mapping. At the end of a session, summarize what you’ve learned by jotting down overarching themes.


Pace yourself. Conferences can be tricky because you are out of your element, and away from your daily rituals. You have other added diversions, e.g. eating and drinking later at night, missing your exercise regime, eating badly or too much or not enough, sleeping poorly, etc. Be mindful of these alluring distractions and pace yourself.


Move outside your comfort zone. You don’t have to attend breakout sessions on the same ‘ol topics that you always seem to go to. Try something new, just this once.


Follow-up. Create a list of people you’ve met during the conference. Build a connection by sending them an e-mail (or better yet, a handwritten note) telling them how much you enjoyed talking with them and plan for future discussions. For speakers, you may also ask if their slide decks are available for distribution...which will help you remember key points during the conference.

 

We trust this helps.

 

Clientwise Business Builders Workshop Philly

Topics: Coaching

Leave a Comment