Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

Thinking, writing, business ideas … You’re only a stranger once.

February 26, 2009

Conference Time!

kathryn wrote this at 7:45 am

I attended a Podcamp unconference over the weekend. It was so much fun. Not only did I learn from the sessions, which covered topics such as podcasting, metrics, and monetization, but I met so many wonderful people as well. The conference was a two day event with days full of sharing information and dinners and parties at night. It was busy and exhausting. In order to get as much out of the conference experience as possible I have suggestions that might be helpful.

 - take the time to say hello and introduce yourself to as many people as possible. If there is a person at the conference whom you admire, say hello.  Say hello to the person you’re sitting beside, the person who presented and the person in the coffee room. Chances are you have come across these people online and just may not recognize them. If not you’ve just made new connections!

-  remember the hallways, lobbies, and all public spaces in the venue. You’d be surprised how much networking occurs in these busy spaces. Hang around and introduce yourself to the other people hanging around there.

- remember business cards. I’ve asked this question a few times on Twitter and I always have someone say “business cards are obsolete”. That may be for someone who’s famous online, but business cards are like souvenirs for encounters. Make yours memorable. One of my favorites has a picture of the person and their url on it. Be generous in handing them out.

 

It’s conference season coming up. SXSW is the big one that comes to mind and, of course, there’s the one we’re all looking forward to - SOBCon 2009. Plan your time there wisely you so you can walk away with a wonderful ROI in the relationships you create there. Are you planning on attending any conferences this year?

from Kathryn aka @northernchick

 

photo credit: @SuzeMuze





Filed under Successful Blog |




C'mon. Let's talk!

7 Comments to “Conference Time!”

  1. February 26th, 2009 at 8:46 am
    Richard Reeve said

    Thanks for the reminder of the business cards, I’ve yet to craft one for the social media work. So looking forward to implementing your suggestions at SXSW, Inbound Summit SF, and SOBCon09.

  2. February 26th, 2009 at 8:59 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Richard,
    My new business cards are with the designer at this very moment. I know what you mean. :)

  3. February 26th, 2009 at 11:41 am
    Christian Messer said

    Great tips! I have to say that I’m a little appalled that anyone has said “business cards are obsolete”! So not true! Business cards are our identity, our brand - they speak volumes about us and our business. It is often the first impression - therefore it must be grand!

    I appreciate posts like yours, that remind us of all the opportunities that await us, no matter where we are. Your suggestions could apply everywhere. I am often in an elevator with people, why not say hello? You never know where that next great lead or client will come from.

    Kudos!

  4. February 26th, 2009 at 11:44 am
    Kathryn said

    Richard - good to know you’re attending so many events - hopefully see you “around” ;)

    Christian - I was kind of shocked too. Thanks for the kind words!

  5. February 26th, 2009 at 11:55 am
    Joel Kelly said

    Business cards have the potential to seem a bit pretentious, but if you have a sense of humour about them, and have fun with them, they have a greater potential to set you apart from everyone else. Good call, Kathryn.

  6. February 26th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
    Kathryn said

    Joel - I hear what you mean about pretentious. People seemed to really be having fun with their designs though. I saw some great ones!

  7. February 26th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
    Nicholas Chase said

    Hi liz,

    I just read your guest post on Chris Brogan’s blog this morning. Thank you!

    I saw you speak at Blogworld Expo 2008 in Las Vegas, (I was the video guy..).

    I’m a new Affiliate Marketer, frustrated with learning all of the tasks related to managing websites, writing creative ad copy, finding the funds to finance daily-click-budgets on ad campaigns, you know WORK!

    If I had known beforehand just how much sheer effort and investment in hours and monet were required to be a successful AM I might have decided to seek other income streams.

    Your guest post on Chris’s blog was encouraging, I think about quitting the whole deal almost every day.

    Respectfully,

    Nicholas Chase
    http://www.twitter.com/nachase

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

C'mon Let's Talk!