Industry events and conventions are the ultimate place for you to make your mark in your own area of expertise. Regardless of what stage you’re at in Biz Dev – the bottom line is: make the most of these events; your connections that you can gain here are heavily underestimated.
This brings me to the word you’ve been waiting for: NETWORKING. Spell it out to everyone under your wings.
Some of the best worldwide conventions give you direct and easy access to make a pitch and connect with influencer’s and more importantly, the hierarchy of your sector.
Here are the top 10 tips for you to take on board.
- Be prepared! Organize business cards for your team. Here’s a wild bunch to give you some inspiration
- Book a booth strategically placed if you have the financial ability to do so. If you are too late to book, have your rollers and posters placed on the entry way stairs! This is a great tactic if you don’t have a booth – everyone will pass it right before they enter the main area.
- Have your eyes on the door. Do your research and decide in advance who you want to target and talk with. The high rollers will be swarmed with attention. If you get the chance to talk, swoop in and seize the day.
- Your pitch! You wouldn’t have come this far if you didn’t have a polished pitch. Over rehearsed can be a good thing. Treat your colleagues as an audience and get some honest feedback about how to make a successful and intriguing pitch.
- Networking is about creating connections, but it’s exhausting for both parties keeping a smile for hours on end. It helps to be friendly and be reasonable without being too pushy.
- With that in mind – set yourself expectations that can be met! Networking is key to making connections, but with aiming too high, you will lose confidence in yourself. Networking is a continuous part of your daily life now. Not just for conventions and industry events. You should network wherever it’s relevant.
- The event organizer themselves. This is where you can get a more direct helping hand. They will have connections with everyone and can also help you out with future events.
- Be sincere and ask questions. As much as you are counting on everyone there and want everyone to leave with you in their mind, they will definitely want to share with you their resources if they can trust you more.
- It’s not as scary as you anticipate. Large groups can scare you off as it might feel like you are interrupting a group of old friends. Trust your own judgement and if you feel as though you’re imposing, be civil and make your exit.
- It’s not a marathon. There’s no countdown and scoreboard for who got the most cards and who handed out the most. What does count is in 3 days or 3 week’s time, those people you met still want to be connected and also see you as a valuable connection.
EXTRA: Pop Culture Ref:
Ugly Betty once had an episode where she was doing a “YETI” program. Part of it was to go to these networking events and build up her footprint in the fashion industry. Bottom line was that at the end of the night she was sitting at the bar exhausted and a girl from another magazine sarcastically replied something along the lines of “who, the networking police are going to hunt you?” Off to IMDB for Ugly Betty quotes!
Millennial Genie 