Last week I attended one of the leading events for our industry down in Boca Raton, Florida. It was a four day excursion and the social media landscape has certainly matured in the past 12 months since I was last there. But for as much as I enjoy promoting the exchange on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, there’s just something about not being able to replace face-to-face encounters. Here are three things I’ve learned over the years about leveraging conferences and meetings without the use of social media:
- Attending Sessions:
My general rule for panel sessions is either sit in the front row or stand in the back. If I sit in the front row I tend to stay tuned in to the discussion and pay close attention to what is said. Since I typically write or type notes from the events this is my best vantage point. It’s also a great location for wanting to talk with the panelists after the discussion (NOTE: Since few people sit in the front it’s also a great place to find an unused power outlet). If I’m not in the front the only other place you’ll find me is standing in the back. For me it’s a great vantage point for eyeing who is in the audience to talk with after. I can also see who is coming and in and going out of the discussion (NOTE: It’s also great for a quick exit).
- Drive-by Meetings
Probably some of the best meetings I had during the event were the random, out of nowhere meetings in the hallway, lobby or conference tracks. Years ago while working at an agency I learned that walking around the conference center will provide me with more opportunities to find people. One could argue that sitting in one place could accomplish the same thing, but those who know me know that I hardly sit still. I would rather venture into various high traffic areas and find that random encounter.
- Socialize
After hour events provide a chance to mix and mingle, but who are we kidding — this is all about networking just in a more relaxed setting. I was fortunate enough to spend some time with Jim Binder whom I’ve become friends with. Jim, in turn, was able to introduce me to several people. It was also a time for us to compare notes from the conference. During another time I had the chance to talk with one of the exchange’s directors about both work and family, but I took the opportunity to learn about what is going on in his department.
I would be remiss to not mention how social media has also changed the way I’ve now approached industry conferences and events.
- FlipCam
We continue to experiment with FlipCams at the exchange for internal and external purposes. This year Iwas able to quickly interview each person from the exchange who particpated on a panel discussion. On the last day of the conferece we had posted the videos to our intranet for employees (as of the end of business today we’ve had more than 1,000 views of the videos by our approximately 2,000 employees). I have come to appreciate the portability, ease of use, and quickness of these cameras. Kate talked more about how B2B companies can use video here.
- Blogging
We took the opportunity during the event to officially launch our blog (Open Markets). This was another important step in our social media strategy, and while we made the announcement at the conference we were able to promote in real time to our stakeholders via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and our web site.
Real-time collaboration is one of my favorite aspects of Twitter, especially when I’m trying to find people like Diane Saucier at an event (she was in the lobby since that was the best WiFi area) or people trying to find me (like John Lothian who knows I respond faster to Twitter than email). We also used Twitter to promote industry news from the event and provide as much information to our followers as possible. And although I doubted she was actually at the event, I did run into Dorothy Friedman because I saw her tweets and found her.
Now here’s the hard part for you: Think way back (months — maybe even a year or two if you’re a veteran) before the days of FlipCams, Facebook and Twitter and share what non-social media tips you have for networking and leveraging relationships at conferences.
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