7 Tips to Power Networking at Conferences

More than 27 million people attend conferences, trade shows and conventions each year, and according to Meetings & Conventions magazine, the main reason they go is to network. Here are seven tips for maximizing networking efforts at your next big event:

1) Expand your search for non-obvious events. You may need to make an appearance every year at the big trade show for your industry, but you also should broaden your horizons and look at other events your target market might attend. As a business consultant whose client base was varied but did not include food retailers, I decided to attend the annual conference for the American Cheese Society. I learned how a whole new industry works and also won a number of new consulting projects.

2) Clarify your goals. Get specific about what you are seeking when you attend a convention. Last year I attended a conference to find out what other companies are doing to reach Hispanic audiences and identify potential partners to help clients enter that market. That helped me narrow down which breakout sessions to attend, which speakers to meet and what questions to ask participants.

3) Don’t sell. Unless you’re attending a true industry buying event where the purpose is to bring buyers and sellers together, most conferences are set up more for information sharing and connecting. Avoid turning your conversations into sales pitches — better to use the face time with other participants to establish a genuine connection by asking questions and understanding what their goals are. The purpose is to make an impression as a helpful resource; the selling can come later.

4) Focus your discussions. If you’re not prepared, most of your discussions will consist primarily of small talk. Ask questions about what brings someone to the conference and what he is looking for. You may discover commonalities and ways you can help each other.

5) Get the right people to come to you. You can’t possibly get to every person you need to meet at an event. Instead, attract the right people to you. A man in one of my workshops raised his hand and said, “My name is Bob Smith with the XYZ Company. We help privately held businesses find an exit strategy, and my question is…”. After the session, five people approached him: he got business from three of them. He never would have found those people on his own, so he did something to make them seek him out.

6) Ask organizers for help. Conference organizers want you to meet your objectives, so don’t be shy about enlisting their help. If there’s a specific person you’d like to meet, say, “I’d love to say hello to Mr. X, would you mind introducing me?” Or, “I know there are some folks here from ABC Company, what’s the best way to find them?”

7) Get out of the seminar room. Take advantage of any unique networking opportunities offered at the conference. A conference I attended a few years ago offered a dine-around event at local restaurants. I shared wine and great food with industry leaders who are still part of my network today. Finally, to find trade shows or conferences in your industry or region, check out Trade Show Week (tradeshowweek.com) or Trade Show News (tsnn.com).

Networking successfully at conferences and trade shows takes effort. A little focus and up-front prep can result in a much bigger payoff for your time and investment.

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